Posted by MICHAEL GRIFFITH on April 24, 2001:

After Airborne and Ranger, Mike and I, along with about ten other classmates were assigned to two Infantry battalions at Camp Hovey, ROK. I had the good fortune to share a wall, a houseboy, and a kerosene stove with Mike in one end of a quonset hut that was our BOQ. Though I knew Mike at school, we became much better acquainted in that eleven and a butt months that we lived together. Mike was always the fierce competitor; from Plebe Corps Squad wrestling where we first "embraced" to the asphalt tennis court at Camp Hovey where, I swear, the two of us were the only two players seen during our tour. Mike never let up and he made you play better, run harder, drill longer, just because you knew he was gonna' be there 'til the end. We ended up in separate, sister battalions, Mike was a rifle platoon leader and then the heavy weapons platoon leader, and excelled at every opportunity. He also adhered to the 'work hard play hard' doctrine and was never missed at happy hour, volleyball, the pool room or whatever activity was available. Connie and I drove up to visit Mike at WP between RVN tours when he was Aide to the Com or Supe, whatever. We had a great time reminiscing about our quonset hut days in Korea. I never saw him again. His loss hurt me deeply, because Mike's friendship was destined to be a lifelong asset.

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