TBS 2-67 Cruisebook_Updated_7Jan23

Michael W. Downey
First, I wanted to say thank you to the
team for your service and for continued
honoring of my Uncle and all of those that
gave their lives in service to their country
during that time.
As you may know, my Dad passed away a
little over three years ago. My memories
of Michael are from the stories he shared
with me. Although my Dad did not speak
with us about the war very often, he did
speak of his life with Mike before the war.
Mike and my Dad's side of the family had
quite a bit of tragedy with the loss of their
Dad early in their lives. For my Dad, Mike
was the spirit of the family. He was the
great and fun‐loving kid that brought life
to the very dificult situation that they
were in. My Dad always smiled when he
spoke of Mike because of his love and
energy that was so important to their
family. The smile grew when he
remembered Mike's sense of humor.
The loss of Mike devastated my Dad. He
spoke of the strange feeling of leaving the
war with his brother's body in the cargo
bay. I can only imagine losing such an
important and bright soul in your life. It
affected him until the day he passed.
In honoring my Dad and Uncle Mike, I
work to empower veterans of all era's
through the love of dogs as the COO of
Sierra Delta, a Veteran Organization
founded by two Marines from the War
on Terror era. Please take a look at our
site and let me know if there is anything
we can do to support the team. Here is
the link: http://sierradelta.com
My sister is named after him and my
Dad always thought I had his spirit. So
Uncle Mike lives on through his family
to this day. I know my Dad and Mike are
together laughing and happy seeing
their legacies carried on.
Best,
Sean Downey
626‐375‐8995
(From Mike's nephew, Sean. Mike's niece
Michele sent the tribute on Page M‐50
and the picture above)
Mike and his mother
at his brother's
wedding
M‐54