Lance Corporal Michael Jon Gregorius, Served with the Service Company, Headquarters Battalion, 1st Marine Division, Third Marine Amphibious Force.
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From vvmf.org/wall-of-faces
From a 1970 Appleton Post Crescent newspaper article by Bill Knutson, Staff writer
Buddies: 13 months was their longest separation
Mike Gregorius and jack Schweitzer were best friends. . . . since they met in first grade at St. Joseph School. They did things together. . . . played in grade school band . . . went to Xavier High School . . . played (and traveled) in the band . . . played Little League, Babe Ruth League and American Legion Baseball . . . Mike played on Xavier football team . . . Jack was Mike's best fan.
They helped build The Cavern coffeehouse . . . fix toys for needy children . . . delivered Christmas trees, food, fuel oil and presents to families who had less than they.
Where you saw Mike, you saw Jack. They double dated . . . (graduated from) Xavier in 1966 . . . Mike enrolled in Oshkosh State University . . . Jack started at Fox Valley Extension . . . they drank beer and played Sheepshead at Jack's house. College wasn't for Mike and Jack. Maybe later, but not yet.
On Feb. 28, 1968, they . . . (boarded) the bus . . . to Milwaukee and then to Camp Pendleton, Calif. . . . They joined the Marines. . . . Mike and Jack weren't on the same airplane to Vietnam, but they saw a lot of each other. Their scrapbooks are filled with those funny and serious snapshots you collect when you're fighting a war. . . . Mike wrote home and informed his parents that he intended to buy Jack's motorcycle when he got home. Mike's mother worried. A motorbike was one thing, but a big motorcycle was another.
On Aug. 12, 1969, Jack went to see Mike, who would go home in 12 days. He learned that his friend since the first grade, his friend he double dated with, his friend he drank beer and played cards with and hunted and fished and golfed with, was dead. . . . Mike was buried in St. Joseph Cemetery. Jack couldn't get home for his best friend's funeral.
Jack came home Sept. 9, 1969. He carried a purple heart for a hand wound he suffered in combat. Jack went over to Mike's house a couple of times. . . . but it was hard for him to go there, . . . so he quit going.
Last Wednesday afternoon, Jack started up the motorcycle Mike had said he was going to buy, and headed for Milwaukee to see the girl he would marry in two months. His trip ended two miles from home. A truck turned in front of him. He was dead when he got to the hospital. Jack was buried in St. Joseph Cemetery.
He and Mike had been separated 13 months, longer than at any other time since they met in first grade at St. Joseph School. Thirteen months is a long time to be away from your best friend.
--Posted by Sharon (Gregorius) Koenig in 2013
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I grew up next door to Mike in Appleton. My husband played ball with Mike both at St. Joe's and at Xavier. Mike's parents and my parents were best friends for decades. I'll never forget Mike and what a great guy he was. Mike was nice to everyone. My Mom never saw Mike's Mom laugh again after Mike died. My husband Tom and I have not forgotten Mike and we are grateful that Tom was one of the guys who made it home.
--Posted by Nancy Pastorelli Schiedermayer in 2004
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Mike and I served served together in Vietnam. We became friends as we found out that we both where from Wisconsin. Mike was a good and decent guy. The day before he died he came over and showed me pictures of a girlfriend from Milwaukee in front of a Greek church in Milwaukee. I told him I knew of this church and that reminded of home. The night we got overrun I ran into him and then we had to go to areas of assignment and then I found out the next morning he got killed. It was a real shock and sadness as he was so close of going home. Mike was a great guy and I know he is missed by his family, Semper fi
-- Posted by Bob Masch in 2003
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Mike was my neighbor, friend, schoolmate and brother in arms. We served in Vietnam during the same period. Although we were about 35 miles apart we often drove to each others base to visit one another. On one occasion Mike, Jack and I were all together at Monkey Mountain near my base.
I think of Mike so very often and pray for him still. I believe that God knowing I would write this after Mike's death still honored the request as Mike passed on home to be with the Lord. Lord God ....... I ask that as Mike died, he knew how much he was loved and would be missed by us. I pray you gave him peace and courage as you took him home to be with you. God bless you my special friend.
--Posted by John Thoma in 2016
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Lance Corporal Michael Jon Gregorius, Served with the Service Company, Headquarters Battalion, 1st Marine Division, Third Marine Amphibious Force.
========================================
From vvmf.org/wall-of-faces
From a 1970 Appleton Post Crescent newspaper article by Bill Knutson, Staff writer
Buddies: 13 months was their longest separation
Mike Gregorius and jack Schweitzer were best friends. . . . since they met in first grade at St. Joseph School. They did things together. . . . played in grade school band . . . went to Xavier High School . . . played (and traveled) in the band . . . played Little League, Babe Ruth League and American Legion Baseball . . . Mike played on Xavier football team . . . Jack was Mike's best fan.
They helped build The Cavern coffeehouse . . . fix toys for needy children . . . delivered Christmas trees, food, fuel oil and presents to families who had less than they.
Where you saw Mike, you saw Jack. They double dated . . . (graduated from) Xavier in 1966 . . . Mike enrolled in Oshkosh State University . . . Jack started at Fox Valley Extension . . . they drank beer and played Sheepshead at Jack's house. College wasn't for Mike and Jack. Maybe later, but not yet.
On Feb. 28, 1968, they . . . (boarded) the bus . . . to Milwaukee and then to Camp Pendleton, Calif. . . . They joined the Marines. . . . Mike and Jack weren't on the same airplane to Vietnam, but they saw a lot of each other. Their scrapbooks are filled with those funny and serious snapshots you collect when you're fighting a war. . . . Mike wrote home and informed his parents that he intended to buy Jack's motorcycle when he got home. Mike's mother worried. A motorbike was one thing, but a big motorcycle was another.
On Aug. 12, 1969, Jack went to see Mike, who would go home in 12 days. He learned that his friend since the first grade, his friend he double dated with, his friend he drank beer and played cards with and hunted and fished and golfed with, was dead. . . . Mike was buried in St. Joseph Cemetery. Jack couldn't get home for his best friend's funeral.
Jack came home Sept. 9, 1969. He carried a purple heart for a hand wound he suffered in combat. Jack went over to Mike's house a couple of times. . . . but it was hard for him to go there, . . . so he quit going.
Last Wednesday afternoon, Jack started up the motorcycle Mike had said he was going to buy, and headed for Milwaukee to see the girl he would marry in two months. His trip ended two miles from home. A truck turned in front of him. He was dead when he got to the hospital. Jack was buried in St. Joseph Cemetery.
He and Mike had been separated 13 months, longer than at any other time since they met in first grade at St. Joseph School. Thirteen months is a long time to be away from your best friend.
--Posted by Sharon (Gregorius) Koenig in 2013
========================================
I grew up next door to Mike in Appleton. My husband played ball with Mike both at St. Joe's and at Xavier. Mike's parents and my parents were best friends for decades. I'll never forget Mike and what a great guy he was. Mike was nice to everyone. My Mom never saw Mike's Mom laugh again after Mike died. My husband Tom and I have not forgotten Mike and we are grateful that Tom was one of the guys who made it home.
--Posted by Nancy Pastorelli Schiedermayer in 2004
========================================
Mike and I served served together in Vietnam. We became friends as we found out that we both where from Wisconsin. Mike was a good and decent guy. The day before he died he came over and showed me pictures of a girlfriend from Milwaukee in front of a Greek church in Milwaukee. I told him I knew of this church and that reminded of home. The night we got overrun I ran into him and then we had to go to areas of assignment and then I found out the next morning he got killed. It was a real shock and sadness as he was so close of going home. Mike was a great guy and I know he is missed by his family, Semper fi
-- Posted by Bob Masch in 2003
========================================
Mike was my neighbor, friend, schoolmate and brother in arms. We served in Vietnam during the same period. Although we were about 35 miles apart we often drove to each others base to visit one another. On one occasion Mike, Jack and I were all together at Monkey Mountain near my base.
I think of Mike so very often and pray for him still. I believe that God knowing I would write this after Mike's death still honored the request as Mike passed on home to be with the Lord. Lord God ....... I ask that as Mike died, he knew how much he was loved and would be missed by us. I pray you gave him peace and courage as you took him home to be with you. God bless you my special friend.
--Posted by John Thoma in 2016
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