Michael Niezgoda - Vietnam Wall

I grew up down the street from Michael or "Mickey" as he was known to all of us on the block. He was in the same class as my brother Buck, 4 years ahead of me. I was in the same class as Evy Niezgoda, Mickey's little sister. Even though he was older than us, Mickey was never mean to us and even hung around with us "kids" every now and then. One memory I have to this day is when he came up to me just when I was about to bite into a huge apple. He said "Hey, can I have a bite?" I handed him the apple and he took an enormous bite out it. We all started laughing and from that day on any time someone wanted a bite of somebody's apple, candy bar, etc. We would holler, "No Niezgoda bites! Now my son says the same to me!
It broke my heart the morning... read more

I grew up down the street from Michael or "Mickey" as he was known to all of us on the block. He was in the same class as my brother Buck, 4 years ahead of me. I was in the same class as Evy Niezgoda, Mickey's little sister. Even though he was older than us, Mickey was never mean to us and even hung around with us "kids" every now and then. One memory I have to this day is when he came up to me just when I was about to bite into a huge apple. He said "Hey, can I have a bite?" I handed him the apple and he took an enormous bite out it. We all started laughing and from that day on any time someone wanted a bite of somebody's apple, candy bar, etc. We would holler, "No Niezgoda bites! Now my son says the same to me!
It broke my heart the morning I saw the green car pull up in front of the Neizgoda's and a uniformed officer walk up the steps to their front door. Evy wasn't in school that day and we all knew that Mickey was gone. He was a hero to me in life and he remains so in death. I know it sounds crazy, but every time I eat an apple I think of Mickey and what he sacrificed for his country. Rest in peace, soldier. read less