Karen Nicole Clifton was born on May 10, 1985, in Decatur, Macon County, Illinois. He was the son of Doug Clifton and Chris Hancock. Inspired by a lifelong desire to serve in the military, she enlisted in the United States Army after graduation. Clifton was assigned to the 554th Military Police Company, 95th Military Police Battalion, based in Kaiserslautern, Germany, and deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. While stationed in Germany, she attended college and hoped to pursue a career as a state trooper following her military service.

On June 21, 2007, Specialist Clifton was killed in Baghdad, Iraq, after her military vehicle was struck by a rocket-propelled grenade. She was posthumously promoted to the rank of Corporal and was laid to rest at Point Pleasant Cemetery in Long Creek, Illinois.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, thefallen.militarytimes.com