1st Lt. Michael J. Cleary
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The death of 1st Lt. Michael J. Cleary was the driving force that led his college room mate, Jon Bellona together with Lt Cleary's family to put together the original Run For The Fallen when beginning on June 14. 2008, a dedicated team ran from Fort Irwin, CA to Arlington National Cemetery. This in turn led to the creation of the NJ Run For The Fallen in 2009.
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Hometown: Dallas, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Age: 24 years old Died: December 20, 2005 in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Unit: Army, 1st Battalion 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Benning, Ga. Birth: Apr. 4, 1981
Dallas Luzerne County Pennsylvania, USA Death: Dec. 20, 2005, Iraq Army 1st Lt. Michael J. Cleary Bedford family mourns soldier's death Dallas, Pennsylvania December 20, 2005 1st Battalion 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division Fort Benning, Georgia Killed in Taji, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near their HMMWV during combat operations. |
Couple marks fifth anniversary of son's death in Iraq
BY BOB KALINOWSKI (STAFF WRITER)Published: December 20, 2010
Couple marks son's death
DALLAS TWP. - In the grief-stricken days after his death in Iraq, 1st Lt. Michael J. Cleary's family sought ways to keep his memory and spirit alive.
A foundation was created, a movement had begun.
Delivering the eulogy for his youngest child, Jack Cleary spoke words that live on today: "Let his legacy be for us to reach out to those in need, lift up those in despair. And in every little way, help make this a kinder and safer place for all of us to live."
Today marks five years since Lt. Cleary, 24, was killed in a roadside bombing in Iraq, and his parents, Jack and Marianne, believe that legacy has taken shape through the foundation bearing his name and the countless kind acts done on his behalf. His death also led to a lengthy private meeting with then-presidential candidate Sen. John McCain to discuss the war and a 4,000-mile cross-county Run for the Fallen that inspired similar runs across the nation and a documentary film set to be released.
The Clearys invited The Citizens' Voice to their Dallas Twp. home last week to reflect on the past five years.
"It's remembering Mikey. It's his legacy," Mrs. Cleary said. "Maybe this is Angel Mike doing good things."
The mission of the 1st Lt. Michael J. Cleary Memorial Fund is to support veterans' causes and those with special needs. Lt. Cleary had a passion for helping his military brethren and also a soft spot for those with special needs after growing up with an older brother, Patrick, with Down syndrome.
"We sat down and thought about what was important to Mikey and how he would want to be remembered," Mr. Cleary said.
The foundation has delivered thousands of dollars back to the community, whether it be helping nonprofit groups pay bills, giving seed money to start a post-traumatic stress disorder support group, or helping a downtrodden combat veteran with his rent. Recently, a veteran needed an ambulance transfer from a hospital to a rehabilitation center, but the payment was tangled in governmental bureaucracy. The foundation sponsored the ride instead.
"It's because of Mikey - to keep Mikey's spirit with us," Mr. Cleary said.
"When you lighten someone else's burden, you lighten your own as well," Mrs. Cleary said, sitting on a couch by the couple's fireplace.
This is a tough time of year for the couple. In the days leading up to Christmas 2005, they were preparing for a joyful homecoming within two weeks. Instead, the military came knocking at their door. Mrs. Cleary recalls she was making Christmas cookies and listening to holiday music when the soldiers delivered the news.
Christmas is no longer much of a joyous time. It amplifies the grief. Mrs. Cleary handed a reporter a printout titled, "What are the Holidays to Bereaved Parents," which details the grief process in the initial years after a child's death.
"I can't even say it's real for me. It's not," Mrs. Cleary said. "I want him to come home."
Both say they find outlets to temporarily mask their grief. Mrs. Cleary has tennis, while Mr. Cleary finds comfort in the woods with his hunting dogs. Mrs. Cleary became a strong critic of the Iraq war after her son's death, speaking out publicly from time to time. In the summer of 2007, she got the ear of the eventual GOP nominee for president, Mr. McCain, during the Republican primary election. Mr. McCain and his son visited the Clearys at their daughter's home in Bedford, N.H.
BY BOB KALINOWSKI (STAFF WRITER)Published: December 20, 2010
Couple marks son's death
DALLAS TWP. - In the grief-stricken days after his death in Iraq, 1st Lt. Michael J. Cleary's family sought ways to keep his memory and spirit alive.
A foundation was created, a movement had begun.
Delivering the eulogy for his youngest child, Jack Cleary spoke words that live on today: "Let his legacy be for us to reach out to those in need, lift up those in despair. And in every little way, help make this a kinder and safer place for all of us to live."
Today marks five years since Lt. Cleary, 24, was killed in a roadside bombing in Iraq, and his parents, Jack and Marianne, believe that legacy has taken shape through the foundation bearing his name and the countless kind acts done on his behalf. His death also led to a lengthy private meeting with then-presidential candidate Sen. John McCain to discuss the war and a 4,000-mile cross-county Run for the Fallen that inspired similar runs across the nation and a documentary film set to be released.
The Clearys invited The Citizens' Voice to their Dallas Twp. home last week to reflect on the past five years.
"It's remembering Mikey. It's his legacy," Mrs. Cleary said. "Maybe this is Angel Mike doing good things."
The mission of the 1st Lt. Michael J. Cleary Memorial Fund is to support veterans' causes and those with special needs. Lt. Cleary had a passion for helping his military brethren and also a soft spot for those with special needs after growing up with an older brother, Patrick, with Down syndrome.
"We sat down and thought about what was important to Mikey and how he would want to be remembered," Mr. Cleary said.
The foundation has delivered thousands of dollars back to the community, whether it be helping nonprofit groups pay bills, giving seed money to start a post-traumatic stress disorder support group, or helping a downtrodden combat veteran with his rent. Recently, a veteran needed an ambulance transfer from a hospital to a rehabilitation center, but the payment was tangled in governmental bureaucracy. The foundation sponsored the ride instead.
"It's because of Mikey - to keep Mikey's spirit with us," Mr. Cleary said.
"When you lighten someone else's burden, you lighten your own as well," Mrs. Cleary said, sitting on a couch by the couple's fireplace.
This is a tough time of year for the couple. In the days leading up to Christmas 2005, they were preparing for a joyful homecoming within two weeks. Instead, the military came knocking at their door. Mrs. Cleary recalls she was making Christmas cookies and listening to holiday music when the soldiers delivered the news.
Christmas is no longer much of a joyous time. It amplifies the grief. Mrs. Cleary handed a reporter a printout titled, "What are the Holidays to Bereaved Parents," which details the grief process in the initial years after a child's death.
"I can't even say it's real for me. It's not," Mrs. Cleary said. "I want him to come home."
Both say they find outlets to temporarily mask their grief. Mrs. Cleary has tennis, while Mr. Cleary finds comfort in the woods with his hunting dogs. Mrs. Cleary became a strong critic of the Iraq war after her son's death, speaking out publicly from time to time. In the summer of 2007, she got the ear of the eventual GOP nominee for president, Mr. McCain, during the Republican primary election. Mr. McCain and his son visited the Clearys at their daughter's home in Bedford, N.H.
