Spc Michael Anthony Arciola
Born:January 5, 1975
Died: February 15, 2005 in Taqaddum, Iraq
Spc. Michael A. Arciola of Elmsford, New York was known as an amicable young man with an excellent sense of humor. He graduated from Alexander Hamilton High School where he lettered in varsity basketball, soccer and baseball and was recognized as an all-league player. He was captain of the baseball team his junior and senior years and continued to inspire the team, which included several freshmen, when its record sank to 0-21 his senior year. Michael led by example; he was often the first player out of the locker room and into the weight room. He played his best in any position, whether pitcher or catcher. He resolved tense situations with his razor-sharp humor or the deft use of a movie quotation. When a slower player was lapped by teammates, Michael ran an extra lap just to keep him company. He always wore jersey 13, regardless of the sport, and his old baseball team now closes out daily practice by huddling together and calling out, “Thirteen!” Michael excelled at all kinds of sports, and his enormous drive distinguished him on the playing field. As a Little League player, Michael once walked away from a losing game because his teammates had given up and stopped trying. He said, ‘Why am I the only one who’s supposed to hit the balls and score all the runs? They’re not trying.’ So he gathered up his stuff and walked out. Michael had long planned to join the Army upon graduation from high school in 2003, and remained steadfast even after his up close exposure to the horrors of war. He spent a year in North Korea’s demilitarized zone before being deployed to Iraq. But Michael had plans beyond the Army. He talked about going to college and was considering studying to become a physician assistant or a teacher. He was awarded the Bronze Star for heroism. Michael died at age 20 of injuries sustained from enemy small arms fire in Ramadi, Iraq.
Army
1st Battalion
503rd Infantry Regiment
2nd Infantry Division
Camp Casey, Korea
Burial is at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia; Sec 60 Site 8105
The Spc Michael Anthony Arciola by Freedom Remembered, unless otherwise expressly stated, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License.
