CARLSTADT, NJ, USA U.S. Marines LCPL, A CO, 1ST BN, 6TH MAR, 2D MAR DIV, CAMP LEJEUNE, NC AR RAMADI, IRAQ 11/27/2006
Michael Anthony “Mud Midget” Schwarz was loved by his family, friends, and fellow marines. He was the kind of person that brought a smile to your face. Everybody liked Mike. He was born and grew up in Carlstadt, New Jersey. He was baptized by Rev. Donald M. Pitches of the First Presbyterian Church in Carlstadt, who said of Michael, “He just loved his country. He loved the idea of being a soldier and he loved being a Marine. . . He’s not one to second-guess himself or express his doubts. . .He was ready to do what he was trained to do.”
Tall at 6 feet, but thin, Schwarz joined the Marines after graduating from Henry P. Becton Regional High School in East Rutherford in 2004. During high school he had played recreational hockey and was in the concert band. For fun, he went off-road in his beloved, customized jeep. At 18, the earliest age allowed, he became a volunteer firefighter with the Carlstadt Volunteer Fire Department, Engine 2. He was a member of the First Presbyterian Church, the Veterans of Foreign Wars Schmidt Hoeger Post 3149, the Wallington Emergency Squad, and the Carlstadt Flames Hockey Team.
Michael A. Schwarz was a free spirit who knew what was at stake when he joined the Marines right out of high school, and later when he headed to Iraq. He had looked forward to joining the Marines since the fifth grade.
Lance Corporal Schwarz died Monday, November 27, 2006, from injuries he suffered while conducting combat operations in the Iraqi province of Anbar. He had been assigned to the Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, based at Camp Lejeune, N.C. He was twenty years old. He is missed by his parents, Kenneth A. Schwarz and Pamela F. (nee Allen) Schwarz, his brother, Frank Anthony Schwarz, aunts, uncles, and all of Carlstadt.
(Sources: “Carlstadt suffers the death of Michael Schwarz in combat in Iraq” By RUDY LARINI AND RUSSELL BEN-ALI, STAR-LEDGER, November 29, 2006; Star-Ledger Obituary, December 5, 2006)
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