MICHAEL L. LICALZI, 1LT, USMCR

Michael Licalzi '04

Date of birth: April 11, 1982

Date of death: May 11, 2006

Age: 24

Lucky Bag

From the 2004 Lucky Bag:

Michael Lucian LiCalzi

Garden City, New York

40 second Calz. Boxling. Circle of death. Spray on chapstick. Framed. No I didn't, I didn't spit on you. Dropping F-bombs at Hooke's house. Shaving for Millman's sister. Follow Me! Do I look fat? Let's get some hot capicola. Poison Ivy + calamine lotion = Calz. Leatherneck was so motivating. Obradavich. Shaking hands with John McCain. The LiCalzi. Mustard sandwiches. Monument run. Final Fantasy VII. It's a pleasure book Gunny. The Orb. Hey Cathro hit me in the face. Arnold wants you to get huge. The Tribe. COLORS! That was for Alfred Thayer Mahan. The snapper. Chuck Zito, true American badass. Boot slings. Ambassador LiCalzi. I'm proud of you. Sie German service medal. What's the capital of Germany? Belgium? I'm inside your loop. Star Tron. Sex with teh dolphin. Human's rule, dolphins can suck it. Don't Think! Long Island. Chaminade. Where's my house. It's 4WD, all the time! The wheels that slip to the wheels that grip. Kayama. All the way to Herndon. Mess with the bull and you get the horns. Those are strong legs aren't they. Should we help him? 100 beer club. The wench. Killing the shark. Man-o-war. Cold fury. Will you graduate with me? Texas hatred. You flyboys are all the same. I Have Truly Found Paradise. I'm just a groundpounder. Conan. In the halls of Valhalla. Biting Millman. Haircut Ambush. The Pinney situation. I love drill I'm a marine. USMC Hardcorps Vert in, Vert ex. - WM MP CM JS JS IM JH

Michael Lucian LiCalzi

Garden City, New York

40 second Calz. Boxling. Circle of death. Spray on chapstick. Framed. No I didn't, I didn't spit on you. Dropping F-bombs at Hooke's house. Shaving for Millman's sister. Follow Me! Do I look fat? Let's get some hot capicola. Poison Ivy + calamine lotion = Calz. Leatherneck was so motivating. Obradavich. Shaking hands with John McCain. The LiCalzi. Mustard sandwiches. Monument run. Final Fantasy VII. It's a pleasure book Gunny. The Orb. Hey Cathro hit me in the face. Arnold wants you to get huge. The Tribe. COLORS! That was for Alfred Thayer Mahan. The snapper. Chuck Zito, true American badass. Boot slings. Ambassador LiCalzi. I'm proud of you. Sie German service medal. What's the capital of Germany? Belgium? I'm inside your loop. Star Tron. Sex with teh dolphin. Human's rule, dolphins can suck it. Don't Think! Long Island. Chaminade. Where's my house. It's 4WD, all the time! The wheels that slip to the wheels that grip. Kayama. All the way to Herndon. Mess with the bull and you get the horns. Those are strong legs aren't they. Should we help him? 100 beer club. The wench. Killing the shark. Man-o-war. Cold fury. Will you graduate with me? Texas hatred. You flyboys are all the same. I Have Truly Found Paradise. I'm just a groundpounder. Conan. In the halls of Valhalla. Biting Millman. Haircut Ambush. The Pinney situation. I love drill I'm a marine. USMC Hardcorps Vert in, Vert ex. - WM MP CM JS JS IM JH

Obituary

From Travis Manion Foundation:

First Lieutenant Michael LiCalzi died when his tank rolled off a bridge into a canal in Al Anbar Province, Iraq. He had been in Iraq just six weeks when he died. He was assigned to the 2nd Tank Battalion, 2nd Marine Division and was responsible for his platoon of four tanks. Also killed in the accident were Cpl. Steve Vahaviolos, 21, of Airmont, N.Y., Rockland County; Lance Cpl. Jason K. Burnett, 20, of St. Cloud, Florida.; and Lance Cpl. David J. Grames Sanchez, 22, of Fort Wayne, Indiana. Mike earned the Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Medal, and the National Defense Service Medal.
Mike graduated from Chaminade High School in 2000. He ran track and cross country, and was part of crew. He was also a member of the German Club. His outside activities included surfing and later in his life, he even took Italian cooking lessons. Mike graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 2004 with a B.S. in Economics.
1st Lt. Glenn Jensen said of Mike: "Mike was my roommate in TBS and I can only tell you that those of us that knew him are greater people because of him and that the world is a little darker without his smile. He is missed every day by his extended family of brothers and sisters. Semper Fi."
"I had only just met him, but we shared the instant bond that all Marines share. Instant friends, instant trust, instant acceptance. I could see the clear look in his eye. The kind that instills trust and confidence in young Marines. The fresh enthusiasm, the dedication, the anticipation of his deployment. I found myself missing the Corps a lot that night, because Mike embodied the finest qualities of the USMC. That was apparent from the moment he looked me in the eye and shook my hand," said Capt. Steve Bowen, USMC (Ret).
Mike is survived by his parents and siblings.

From Florida Today:

LiCalzi enjoyed visiting his parent’s home in the central Florida community of Celebration. A crewman in his tank, Lance Cpl. Jason K. Burnett, 20, grew up a few miles south in St. Cloud.
Both men were aboard a M-1 Abrams tank that plunged off a bridge on May 11 during a combat patrol in Karmah, 50 miles west of Baghdad, the Department of Defense said. Lance Cpl. David J. Grames Sanchez, 22, of Fort Wayne, Ind., Cpl. Steve Vahaviolos, 21, of Airmont, N.Y., also died in the accident.
The accident was not caused by hostile fire, although the tank was in a combat area, said Lt. Shawn Mercer, a Marine spokesman. Their unit, the 2nd Tank Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Lejeune in N.C., had been in Iraq since the end of March, Mercer said.

From The Orlando Sentinel:

Both men had been in Iraq just a few weeks with the 2nd Tank Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force out of Camp Lejeune, N.C. … After the academy he entered armor school at the U.S. Army Armor Center in Fort Knox, Ky., where he was the honor graduate of his training company, his father said.
“Everywhere he went and in everything he did, Michael gave 100 percent,” Gregory LiCalzi said.
As an example, his father told of his son’s heart during boxing matches against more experienced competitors at Annapolis. He reached the semifinals in his weight class.
He was a voracious reader, loved to surf, play poker, try new beers, handicap thoroughbreds, watch (but no longer participate in) boxing matches, and root for the New York Mets. He was an avid outdoorsman, his father said.
At Chaminade High School in Mineola, N.Y., where he was a member of the track, cross-country and crew teams, LiCalzi’s name will be the 55th etched on the school’s Gold Star Alumnus plaque, said the president, the Rev. James Williams. The plaque lists those who have died in combat since the school’s founding in 1930.

He is buried in New York.

Remembrances

From the Naval Academy Alumni Association's "In Memoriam" page:

Mike loved his entire nuclear and extended family; and his love of family included his fellow midshipmen, particularly those in 30th Company, and his comrades in the 2nd Tank Battalion. He was a wonderful and supportive son and brother and a dedicated and faithful Marine. Gregory LiCalzi

From a document titled Reflections and Roll Call, for the Class of 2003's 15th Reunion:

Mike Pangrac shared that there is so much that could be said about who Mike was as a person, from his love of boxing and his beloved Long Island to the countless times he was there for him as a friend. With that being said, of all the things that made Mike great, two things really stuck out. He was unquestionably devoted to his family and friends and he had an unmatched desire to do the right thing and uphold his duty. He is truly blessed to have been able to call Mike a friend.
Chris Southard went to TBS with Mike, where his leadership as a Marine Corps officer began to flourish. Mike was quiet, but extremely competent and had a total genuine, compassionate concern for others. He was always thinking of the team as a whole and never as himself as an individual. He was always working as part of the team to ensure the squad performed. Mike’s eyes were wide open to what lied ahead in Iraq and Afghanistan, he knew exactly how important our education was and always challenged himself in preparation to lead Marines. During struggles at TBS in training, he never displayed frustration. He would always look at the issue, focus on a way to make it right, and calmly push through execution. You run into many different personalities in the Marine Corps and in the military, but Mike’s Marines were extremely lucky to have him as a platoon commander.
Mike loved America, loved the Marines, and paid the ultimate sacrifice for our country. The world is darker without him in it. He is a great friend, brother, and son and is deeply missed.

Other Information

From The Post-Star, Glen Falls, NY, on May 26, 2006:

In the spring of 1999, LiCalzi was a high school rower, competing for the nascent program at Chaminade.
“We started the program here in the spring of 1998,” Chaminade coach Johnathan Callinan said this week.
“Michael came out in the spring of ’99. He was a junior. He was a lightweight rower, very tall, very lean.”