I first met Mike shortly after arriving at the Defense Language Institute (DLI) located on the Presidio of Monterey in California. We were both there for a year-long program studying the Czech language. We were in the same class, but were in different classrooms most of the time.
Mike's roommate was in my classroom, and due to that connection we soon became fast friends. We often hung out together as we toured around the Monterey area during our year there. Even though we never were in actual combat together, we were Brothers In Arms in every sense of the word.
Mike had a great, though sometimes raunchy, sense of humor. His deadpan way of commenting on things, especially the sometimes silly parts of Army life, would catch people off guard. He was always good for a laugh, however.
Being good Catholic boys, we'd often head out to the Carmelite Convent that was located on Highway 1 just outside Carmel, CA, for Sunday mass. Afterwards, we'd usually end up at the Casa Maria restaurant located on the water near Cannery Row for their Champagne and Sangria brunch.
After graduating DLI, Mike and I attended two other Army schools before ending up at Fort Bliss in El Paso, TX. We spent a lot of time "playing Army" in the New Mexico desert just north of there. There were some great times, and there were some pretty bad times that we went through together.
When we weren't playing Army, Friday nights would often find us at Mike's apartment watching "Justin Wilson's Cajun Cooking" then "Firing Line" on PBS. Yeah, we were nerd - but in our defense, both of those shows could be very funny.
I don't remember where I went, but at one point towards the end of my first tour at Fort Bliss, I went somewhere several weeks. When I returned, I went to visit Mike to catch up. During that visit, I found that he'd been hit with a series tragic events:
- He'd been diagnosed with Wilson's Disease. While very treatable, management required being on a special diet
- The need to be on a special diet made Mike undeployable. This meant he was facing a medical discharge from the Army
- He and his wife were going to divorce
Despite these heavy blows, and in such a short time, he managed to maintain his sense of humor. He also managed to land on his feet. After his discharge, he went to school to learn specialized medical imaging. He went on to be very successful in that field right up until he passed away.
Mike ended up in Las Vegas when he graduated into his second career. When I visited town, I would try to meet up with him. It was hit or miss at times, but we did manage to meet up for breakfast or dinner several times.
The last time I tried to meet up with him, the response to my text message was rather odd. The person on the other end thought I was a lady trying to "hook up" with someone. I didn't think much of it, other than Mike might have changes his phone number for some reason. It was several months later that I found out he'd passed just a few weeks prior to my trip.
Mike's brother filled me in on the details afterwards. He was laid to rest in South Dakota, not far from where he grew up.
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