First Name: Michael

Last Name: De Rossi

Middle Initial: A

Date of Birth: 05/10/1950

Sex: Male

Martial Status: Married

Number of Children: 2

Home Town: Massapequa Park, NY

Education Completed: High School

Other Occupations:

Branch of  Service: Marines

Highest Rank: LCPL

Serial Number: N/A

Platoon: N/A

Age at Start of Service: 18

Years of Service: 5

Combat Veteran: Yes

Time in Combat: 2

Place of Combat: N/A

Awards:

Date of Suicide: 11/1997

Suicide Method: Hung Himself

Veteran’s Story: All my life I knew my father to be a very sick man. When I was 15, I was going to get my bike out of the garage to go to school when I found his body hanging. Now 23, I finaly made my peace with him for what he did. I joined the Marines after 9/11 and had a better understanding and restect for what he did for his country. Even though he didn’t die in Vietnam, Vietnam is what killed him in the end. The depression and PTSD were the same as a bullet. I went to the wall recently and saw all the brave men that died there and couldn’t help thinking about all the other men who brought the war back with them. For those who made it back. THEY FIGHT EVERYDAY

Submitted By: Michael J De Rossi

Relationship to Veteran: Child