Interviewed by

Curtis Taylor and Ryan Redihan

"I learned something very important, planning is ultimate for knowing what you are going to do
with your life and how to do it" -~
~ Michael Koza, (2:18)

Mike Koza's Story:

Mr. Koza was born and raised by his mother and father in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. As Michael grew up, he wanted to be a historian when he was older, but his father wanted him to become an engineer. After Michael received his bachelor's degree in industrial engineering, the Vietnam War started, and he was unfortunate enough to be drafted. Michael was assigned to the Airborne unit for the United States Military through a lottery-type idea called the draft.

Before Michael arrived onto foreign soil, he went through military training so he knew what to expect before arrival in Vietnam. Throughout our veteran's time spent in the war, he was in a number of battles while in a mobile task force(MTF). The mobile task force is a group of soldiers that travel to different check points around the country they are stationed, and they are the elite units drawn from across the foundation. The event that had the most impact on Michael was when he was on an amphibious assault with a group of twelve people with him, and they were ambushed by Vietnamese soldiers. While this assault was happening, a close encounter happened where a bullet struck Michael's helmet, collar, shirt, and finger, which was an extremely close call. During the war, Michael and the rest of the soldiers had to sleep on the ground and they ate decent meals. The most gruesome memory he has, is when he had to kill a Vietnamese soldier with a knife in order to stay alive.

Our Veteran's return from the war was his favorite memory because it was all over. Michael then met up with his family at the airport and went to Hawaii and surfed and had a fantastic time when they were finally reunited. Michael has not had any contact with fellow soldiers other than a reunion ten years ago. At the reunion, he did not share any memories with the other veterans. Since the war, Mr. Koza had a son and a daughter with his wife who also served as a nurse. Michael is now residing in Brewster, Massachusetts, close to his family and living a happy, healthy life. Michael L. Koza is truly an inspiration and a hero for serving the great nation we live in today.