Mike was impelled to serve by the examples of his veteran parents.

West Point was not his first choice, but their strong cadet candidate program and luck resulted in his acceptance and attendance.

Mike was the epitome of grit and threw himself at multiple challenges and opportunities while at the Academy.

Mike fell short of some of those goals, but graduated as an Infantry officer with the skills and repetitions necessary to succeed at Officer Basic and Ranger school.

Mike reported to the 3rd Infantry Division and caught their train up and deployment to the liberation of Iraq. Fate struck him and his platoon and he was separated from his team after tragedy.

Mike served the remainder of that deployment on rear detachment separate from his platoon with scars forming on his psyche.

The path to redemption has been long and hard fought.

This is his story.