Disarming bombs is hazardous duty. A man named Michael did it in service of our country for quite a few years. He loved to joke around and make people laugh, but took his job seriously. Tonight we will remember the life and honor the name of this man, Staff Sergeant Michael J. Garcia.
Staff Sergeant Michael J. Garcia
Michael J. Garcia was a native of Bossier City in Louisiana. He was active in the Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) while in high school and graduated from Bossier High School in June 2001. According to Louisiana’s KTBS News site:
Garcia's friend Christine Geisler Thomas, of Haughton, attended Bossier High School with Garcia and later became a roommate. She said Garcia had a contagious personality and the ability to change a somber mood just by smiling.
"He could just walk in the room ant tell a joke and then no one was sad," Thomas said. "There was nothing about him that was not good. He was an amazing person."
He was assigned to the 63rd Ordnance Battalion, 52nd Ordnance Group (Explosive Ordnance Disposal), 20th Support Command (CBRNE) at Fort Polk, Louisiana. Garcia had served in Iraq. While deployed in Afghanistan, Garcia and his team supported 2nd Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment's Task Force Warrior, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division.
The
Leesville Daily Leader states:
According to an Army-produced news story, Garcia was a seasoned explosive ordnance demolition technician, described by Sgt. 1st Class Matt Meadows as a "mentor who had a positive, jovial disposition."
Spc. Andrew Cancienne of Metairie, who is in Afghanistan, described Garcia as "a big man with a much bigger heart," who was "a great" technician and non-commissioned officer.
"But more importantly, he was one of my best friends," Cancienne said.
Garcia had been injured in a bomb explosion twice before and was the solider with the longest tenure assigned to the 705th Explosive Ordinance Disposal division. On the 4th of July in the Wardak province of Afghanistan, an improvised explosive device (IED) went off and took his life. He was 27 years old.
His hometown paper, the Bossier Press-Tribune put quotes about him on their front page:
U.S. Army Spc. Adam Wright of Decatur, Ill. considered Garcia the core of the 705th EOD and said his loss leaves a "great void." Wright learned much of his EOD knowledge and acquired skills as a result of Garcia's training and experience, he said.
Garcia had been with 705th EOD longer than any soldier currently assigned to the unit, said Wright. He had a vast amount of experience and knowledge, and he was an NCO his leadership always could rely upon.
"Staff Sergeant Garcia was the NCO that I knew was going to 'make it happen,'" said 1st Lt. Eric Soto 705th EOD officer. "He was an NCO to his core, but he still knew how to make you laugh till your sides split. He will never be forgotten.
An article in The Times Picayune states that soldiers who worked with him remember Garcia as brave and unshakeable:
"Staff Sergeant Garcia was always known to me to look at the positive side of people and the positive side of things," said Sgt. 1st Class Willis Fontenot, a 705th EOD noncommissioned officer from Mamou. "When something went wrong or didn't seem to work out he never got rattled or lost his temper, he simply fixed it and moved on.
"He loved the EOD community and witnessed many sacrifices throughout his career," continued Fontenot. "He gave the ultimate sacrifice so that others may cherish life. He will be missed but not forgotten. God bless him and his family.
Garcia's awards and decorations include the following: Bronze Star Medal, with Valor device; Bronze Star Medal; Purple Heart Medal, third award; NATO Medal; Army Commendation Medal; Army Achievement Medal, third award; Navy Achievement Medal; Joint Meritorious Unit Award; Valorous Unit Award; Meritorious Unit Citation; Army Good Conduct Medal, second ward; National Defense Service Medal; Afghan Campaign Medal, with two campaign star; Iraq Campaign Medal, with two campaign stars; Global War on Terror Service Medal; Humanitarian Service Medal; Army Service Ribbon; Overseas Service Ribbon, second award; Combat Action Badge; Senior EOD Badge; EOD Badge; Driver and Mechanic Badge, Wheeled Vehicles; Driver and Mechanic Badge, Operator.
According to Louisiana’s KTBS News site:
Garcia's mother, Debra Garcia of Bossier City, said her charismatic son made it clear to her on more than one occasion about what his final wishes would be should he be killed while serving his country. She said he wanted a traditional military funeral including a 21 gun salute and an American flag to be draped over his coffin. But more than that, he wanted everyone to know that he wanted them to be there with his family to make their final goodbyes, she said.
Garcia is survived by his parents; his sisters Cindy, Debbie, and Amanda; and his brothers Jason, and Richard. A Facebook page "
RIP Michael Garcia" was set up for him by a friend and has many entries.
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About the IGTNT series:
”I Got the News Today” is a diary series intended to honor, respect, and remind us of the sacrifice of our US troops. Click here to see the series, which was begun by i dunno, and which is maintained by Sandy on Signal, monkeybiz, noweasels, blue jersey mom, Chacounne, twilight falling, joyful, roses, SisTwo, SpamNunn, a girl in MI, JeNoCo, Mediaprof, TrueBlueMajority, JanosNation, Proud Mom and Grandma, Ministry of Truth, CalNM, Wide Awake in Kentucky, Ms Wings, maggiejean, racheltracks, JaxDem, and kestrel9000. These diaries are heartbreaking to write, but are an important service to those who have died, and show our community’s respect for them.
Fallen service members whose names have been released by the US Department of Defense will usually be diarized two days after the official announcement on the DoD website. This allows the IGTNT team to cover each person more fully, but still in a timely manner
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