Kashkoush, Michael M.

Michael M. Kashkoush

Chagrin Falls, Ohio

Feather Location: Row M, #21

Cleveland.com, February 1, 2007

…Marine Sgt. Michael M. Kashkoush's presence was always felt.  "He'd stand there and be quiet, but everyone knew he was there," Kyle Kiffner, friend and fellow 2001 Chagrin Falls High School graduate, said.  It wasn't necessarily what he said, but the way he carried his 6-foot 2-inch frame…

Kiffner last spoke with Kashkoush on Jan. 10, two days before he left for Iraq. He had seven months left to serve, and they talked about Kashkoush going back to school.  "He was kind of excited (talking about school). He told me to visit him when he got to college," Kiffner said.  Kashkoush often kept in touch with friends, mostly over the Internet.  "If I ever had problems with life, he would sit and listen and make sense of it," Kiffner said. "He was a great buddy to have."

Kashkoush was born on New Years Day 1983, the only child of Marwan M. Kashkoush and Mary Jane Kashkoush. His house on Hickory Hill Road was remembered as a gathering place.  "He liked having people around," Kiffner said. "He was happy if everyone else was happy. He always put everyone before himself."

Kashkoush spent three years at Chagrin Falls High School, missing only his junior year when his father, an executive with Parker-Harrifin Corp., was transferred to England.  "You could definitely feel the sadness throughout the school today," Superintendent David Axner said Jan. 25 after the high school had a moment of silence followed by the playing of Taps in his honor. "He was a very likable student. You never heard anyone say a bad word about him."

Quiet and unassuming, Kashkoush played one year of football and wrestled for three years. Head football coach Mark Iammarino plans to have the American flag on every helmet next fall to honor Kashkoush and "other players who have gone on to defend their country." …

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