MADISON – Specialist Kyle Little was eager to serve in the U.S. Army and entered the military on March 10, 2004.

Little grew up in West Boylston, Mass. He completed Basic Training and Advanced Individual Training at Fort Sill, Okla.

“From there, Kyle was stationed at Fort Benning, Ga. He was in Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF3) and returned for Operation Iraqi Freedom 5, where he was Killed In Action in Salmon Pak, Iraq by an IED (Improvised Explosive Device),” his wife Tiffany Little said. “He was a Specialist when he was KIA.”

Kyle was 21 years old when he died on May 8, 2007.

“I moved to Hartselle while three months pregnant with our daughter to be close to family when he died,” Tiffany said. “I had no family in Georgia, and my father was from the area and had retired here from the Marine Corps.”

Tiffany and their daughter Kylee have lived in Hartselle for 10 years. “So, I pretty much call Hartselle home since I have lived here the longest out of all the places, which is nine different states,” Tiffany said.

“Kyle did not attend college and actually dropped out of high school and immediately got his GED so that he could enlist in the military,” Tiffany said. When Kylee was four years old, Tiffany entered massage school and earned certification as a licensed massage therapist.

She opened her own studio in Hartselle. “I have two therapists that I have contracted. The name — Gold Star Therapies — honors Kyle’s sacrifice,” Tiffany said.

“Kylee is named after her father. She’s a student in the gifted program and an ambassador in her school, as well as a Girl Scout and a very gifted artist. Kylee always has a warm smile and is quick to reach out to someone who needs a friend,” Tiffany said.

“We try and be very involved in her school and our community.” Tiffany participates in PTO at Kylee’s school and with Hartselle Chamber of Commerce. “I’m always looking for more and more veterans events for setting up my massage chair,” Tiffany said with a laugh.

Kyle was an avid Red Sox fan and loved to bowl. “We try and get to a game when we see his family every May. At home, we always go bowling for his birthday,” Tiffany said.

“I am all about our daughter, God’s many blessings, massage and my husband now, who is a combat veteran and raising awareness for service dogs (Arron Wilcox and his service dog Ursula),” Tiffany said. Â

Kylee is a diehard fan of the Hartselle Tigers, art, softball and an occasional lazy day of binge watching “My Little Pony.”