I am new to the internet and I was pleasantly surprised that when I typed in the name Gozdan, that Michael Gozdan's name came up, for you see, Michael was my older brother. Michael was born in Massillon, Ohio on November 23rd 1942, from there he spent his childhood up through high school in the small town of Canal Fulton, Ohio. Mike was loved by all who knew him and his death was a great shock to the little town of Canal Fulton, because Mike was the first war baby born in this little town in 1942, and the whole town felt that they had a part in his early years. At the time of his birth, his father Stephen John Gozdan was serving in the Army on the island of Mindanau in the Phillippines, fighting the Japanese.

The reason that Mike is listed as being from Easton PA is because he was one of the Marine Recruiters there, and he told me once that he was not comfortable recruiting young men to go to a far off country and fight and die when he had never been there to tell them what they were facing, so he applied for Officer Candidate School, was accepted , graduated and requested duty in Vietnam. Mike left Ohio April, 1967 to begin his tour.

Mike was a forward artillery observer at Con Thien, when on Sept.27, 1967 during a fire fight his position was hit by a mortar round, Mike was wounded and evacuated to a hospital ship where died on Oct.6, 1967, just two days before I turned twenty-one. I had just returned home from the Navy that day, when we received all this heart breaking news. Mike's mother was in a wheel chair at the time of his death, she had Multiple Sclerosis and this was very hard on her because she lost her brother James Alvin Butler on February 14th, 1953. Uncle Jim was also a Marine. It has been almost 32 yrs. since his death which is still very hard to believe. He was survived by his father Stephen J. Gozdan who passed away in February, 1979, by his mother Mary Constance Gozdan who passed away in June, 1987,and beside myself, he is also survived by his brother Robin D. Gozdan who still resides in Massillon, Ohio, by his brother Alexander Paul Gozdan who was in the Navy during the evacuation of Vietman in 1975 and presently resides in California, and by his younger sister Joyce Denise Mospens, she presently resides with her husband in Warren, Ohio.

I feel you deserve to know something about one of the Marines on your memorial page. I have had the profound privilege of visiting the wall in Washington D.C. and it still has a very profound effect on me to think about it. I wish to express my sincere appreciation for the remembrance of my brother Michael Stephen Gozdan. Our family has a proud military history and I am just so thankful that you have chosen to remember these warriors for freedom on your Web Site.