Michael Keith Spivey was born on September 9, 1983, in Lawton, Comanche County, Oklahoma. He was the son of Brian Keith Spivey and Paula Ann Elrod Spivey. Following his graduation from high school, he enlisted in the U.S. Army and pursued a career in Army aviation. He advanced to the position of CH-47 Chinook crew chief and served in Iraq, where he volunteered to fly as a door gunner during combat operations. Having accumulated more than 65 combat flight hours, he was assigned to Company F, 5th Battalion, 159th Aviation Regiment, 12th Aviation Brigade at Giebelstadt Airfield, Germany, before deploying to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

On April 6, 2005, a U.S. Army CH-47D Chinook helicopter #88-00100, flying under the callsign “WINDY-25”, crashed near Khudaidad village, in Afghanistan's Ghazni Province, approximately 80 miles (130 km) southwest of Kabul. The aircraft belonged to Company F ("Big Windy") of the 159th Aviation Regiment, part of the 12th Aviation Brigade, which at the time was assigned to V Corps and based in Germany. WINDY-25 had departed on a routine resupply and passenger transport mission, carrying personnel and supplies between forward operating bases in eastern Afghanistan. The Chinook was transporting a mixed group consisting of Army soldiers, National Guard personnel, a Marine, Army Reserve personnel, and civilian contractors. As the helicopter approached the Ghazni area, it encountered a severe dust storm with winds exceeding 45 knots. These conditions created a "brownout" environment, in which blowing dust completely obscured visual references. During the flight, the pilots lost outside visibility and attempted to transition from visual flying to instrument flight procedures. Investigators later determined that the crew became spatially disoriented, meaning they could no longer accurately perceive the aircraft's attitude and movement. While attempting to regain control, the helicopter was over-controlled and ultimately crashed. All 18 people aboard were killed: five Army crewmembers and thirteen passengers. The aircraft was destroyed. Subsequent investigations found no evidence of enemy fire or hostile action; the accident was attributed entirely to the extreme weather conditions and the resulting loss of situational awareness.

Spc Spivey was one of the crewmembers aboard the aircraft and was killed in the crash. He is now buried in the Sandhills State Veterans Cemetery, Fort Bragg, Cumberland County, North Carolina, USA.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, www.chinook-helicopter.com, www.dvidshub.net