Specialist Nicholas R. Penix was born October 1997, he was a lot like his brothers. Except for the fact that he joined the military. Never in our wildest dreams did we imagine him doing this. He decided while in high school to join the National Guard and spent the rest of his time preparing for basic training. But, like everything else, he did it in his own way. To condition for basic, Nick joined the swim team and the cross-country team. While he did his best in these sports, and loved spending time with his teammates, they were simply a way for him to work on getting in shape. So, on November 5th, 2015 he joined the National Guard. He wanted to become a Cav Scout, which he would proudly inform you was one of the more dangerous jobs he could get. He was proud of that because in his mind, being the one in danger kept everyone else safe.

Nicholas was an avid video gamer, board gamer, and loved playing role playing games. He loved spending time with his friends and family. He was always up for going on an adventure. He was always quick to help someone else even if it wasn't something he was particularly interested in. He was always there for family and friends alike to help them through whatever life threw at them. This is sort of the hallmark of who he was. He dreamed big, loved big, played big, and ate big. He grabbed life by the horns and lived it his way. To say he is missed is an understatement! We feel his loss deeply. He was truly our hero!