ELMSFORD, NY, US
U.S. Army
SPC, D CO, 1ST BN, 503D INF, 2D INF DIV, (1 MEF), FORT CARSON, CO
02/15/2005, TAQADDUM, IRAQ
I’m here to speak about a very important person, a good friend and a great soldier, Private First Class Michael Arciola. Most of the men in the battalion might have known Private First Class Arciola as Kool-Aid. Those of you that didn’t know him, he was the type of person that could brighten up your worst day. He could make you laugh about anything and he also had a lot to say about the Army. Some things were good and some were bad, but he always gave 110% on everything he did.
I’ve known Arciola since December of 2003. He arrived to the platoon on Christmas Eve and, unlike most people, he wasn’t upset, he was just disappointed because he didn’t know anyone. Arciola’s personality allows him to adapt very quickly and make new friends without any trouble. The 1st day I met Arciola we both got along pretty well because we were both from New York and we had a lot of things in common. Arciola and I would always have something to talk about; we talked about what we were going to do once we ETS out of the army and went home.
It’s going to be very hard to go on without Arciola, he was a very out spoken young man and he looked out for everyone in the platoon he was the type of person everyone needs around. All he needed to make him happy were his pretzels, and his music.
So kool-aid, I hope where ever you’re at your happy and it’s also good to know that you’re out of here and in a better place. I also know you’ll be watching over us during the rest of the deployment and assisting us in destroying these heathen bastards. We’re going to make them pay for the way they got at us. We will not rest until we find the insurgents responsible for what happened to you and all of our fallen brothers. From me, the guys in FIDO platoon, and the rest of the battalion, we’ll miss you. You will forever be in our hearts & minds. RIP