The widow of a Fort Benning-based soldier killed in Iraq has been given her mother-in-law's blessing to seek artificial insemination using her late husband's sperm.

Kynesha Dhanoolal said she and her husband Sgt. Dayne "Darren" Dhanoolal spoke often of having children and were hoping to conceive when he returned from Iraq. When a roadside bomb exploded near the vehicle the 26-year-old 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team soldier was driving March 31, that hope seemed lost. Realizing she still might conceive her husband's child using artificial insemination, however, the 28-year-old Columbus woman turned her efforts to procuring his sperm.

Sgt. Dhanoolal's mother, Monica Mary Brown, of Killeen, Texas, initially did not consent, according to court papers filed by Kynesha Dhanoolal's lawyer.

That changed Saturday, when Kynesha Dhanoolal received a call from Brown, said Yvonne Watkins, Kynesha's mother. That's when the families found common ground, Watkins said.

"We've been crying together since Saturday," Watkins said. "She called to say she was OK with it. She just wants to make sure when Kynesha does this that she's included."

Sgt. Dhanoolal died without a will, according to court papers filed Friday. A Muscogee County probate judge made the soldier's wife temporary administrator Wednesday of her husband's estate. Kynesha Dhanoolal's lead attorney, Charles Miller, said Georgia law states his client has the authority to control her husband's remains. Prior to his death, however, Sgt. Dhanoolal signed an Army-issued DD Form 93 designating Brown as the person authorized to handle his remains upon death.

As first reported on Ledger-Enquirer.com, U.S. District Court Judge Clay Land issued a temporary restraining order barring Brown, from "embalming, altering or otherwise disposing of" his remains until a medical representative for Kynesha Dhanoolal could extract his sperm. The procedure was done Friday afternoon, according to Frank Myers, Kynesha's attorney in Columbus. The sample is in custody of the widow's medical representative.

"I think there was a grief reaction from everyone," Myers said. "The family has talked and everyone is in agreement."

After speaking to a doctor, Watkins said her family is optimistic the sample is still viable. Watkins said her daughter needs time, however, to recover emotionally and physically before she attempts artificial insemination. In November, Dhanoolal had surgery to remove uterine fibroid tumors so that she could conceive with her husband upon his return from Iraq.

"It's going to be awhile," Watkins said. "Her body has to heal from surgery and her mind from the mental stress."

Sgt. Dhanoolal's mother could not be reached Monday for comment.

Funeral services for Dayne Dhanoolal will be held Friday afternoon in Killen, Texas. Watkins said her son-in-law will receive a military service to include a 21-gun salute. His wife, mother and father will all receive purple hearts, she said. Meanwhile, Sgt. Dhanoolal's comrades overseas are expected to hold a memorial service today in honor of their fallen friend, Watkins said.

"It makes the grieving process when you come together ... it helps the heart," Watkins said. "This would be one special grandbaby. And he or she will be embraced by so many."