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We Honor and Remember:
The death of 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 personal family 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.
Lt. Michael J. Cleary
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 Bedford family mourns soldier's death, Dallas, Pennsylvania, December 20, 2005. Killed in Taji, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near their HMMWV during combat operations. |
First Lieutenant Michael J. Cleary, of Dallas, was killed in action by hostile forces on December 20, near Samarra, Iraq. Lt. Cleary had just completed a demolitions mission when an ambush occurred. Mike was Platoon Leader of the Explosive Ordinance Disposal Team in E Company, 1st of the 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division.
Mike graduated from Dallas Senior High in June 1999. While at Dallas, he was a four-year letterman in both soccer and tennis, and captain of both teams his senior year. He was named to all star teams in both sports. He was selected to attend the National Youth Leadership Forum on Law in his junior year and was involved in many school activities including National Honor Society. He received the Dr. Pepper Soccer MVP Scholarship and the History Scholarship at graduation and was offered academic scholarships at Ursinus College, Gettysburg, Dickinson, and Lafayette. He chose Hamilton College in Clinton, NY.
While at Hamilton, Mike participated in varsity soccer and lettered in varsity tennis. He joined Sigma Phi Fraternity and became the chapter president. He gave up intercollegiate sports and participated in all fraternity intramural sports, winning the Hamilton Golf Intramural Championship. He wanted to enlist in Special Forces immediately after the attacks of September 11, but chose to follow the advice of his mother and stayed in school until completing his studies. He graduated in May 2003 with honors from the Economics Program.
In his senior year, he applied to, was tested for, and was accepted into the Marine Flight Officer Program. He was notified that his class would be deferred to January and enlisted in the US Army. He went to Basic Training three weeks after college graduation, earned his Airborne Wings and Sapper Tab, and graduated from the SAS Antiterrorist Course. He was a player-coach of the Ft. Leonard Wood soccer team, which won the Post Commander’s Cup. His last soccer competition was as player-coach of 1st/15th Infantry Soccer Team that played a Thanksgiving Day game with the Republic of Georgia Army Team.
Mike’s military decorations include the Combat Action Badge, Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Army Commendation Medal, Air Force Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Good Conduct Medal, and three campaign medals. He was awarded the Overseas Military Service and Active Duty Army Ribbons, as well as Meritorious and Valorous Unit Citations.
Mike is survived by his parents, Marianne and Jack Cleary, Dallas; sisters, Erin Flanagan, her husband James and their three children, Bedford, N.H.; Shannon Cleary, Maui, HI; Kelly Cleary and Fred Tangeman, DeLand, FL; brother, Patrick Cleary, Dallas; his loving fiancée, Erin Kavanagh, Dallas, and his maternal grandfather Joseph Nemeth of Waverly, N.Y.
Mike graduated from Dallas Senior High in June 1999. While at Dallas, he was a four-year letterman in both soccer and tennis, and captain of both teams his senior year. He was named to all star teams in both sports. He was selected to attend the National Youth Leadership Forum on Law in his junior year and was involved in many school activities including National Honor Society. He received the Dr. Pepper Soccer MVP Scholarship and the History Scholarship at graduation and was offered academic scholarships at Ursinus College, Gettysburg, Dickinson, and Lafayette. He chose Hamilton College in Clinton, NY.
While at Hamilton, Mike participated in varsity soccer and lettered in varsity tennis. He joined Sigma Phi Fraternity and became the chapter president. He gave up intercollegiate sports and participated in all fraternity intramural sports, winning the Hamilton Golf Intramural Championship. He wanted to enlist in Special Forces immediately after the attacks of September 11, but chose to follow the advice of his mother and stayed in school until completing his studies. He graduated in May 2003 with honors from the Economics Program.
In his senior year, he applied to, was tested for, and was accepted into the Marine Flight Officer Program. He was notified that his class would be deferred to January and enlisted in the US Army. He went to Basic Training three weeks after college graduation, earned his Airborne Wings and Sapper Tab, and graduated from the SAS Antiterrorist Course. He was a player-coach of the Ft. Leonard Wood soccer team, which won the Post Commander’s Cup. His last soccer competition was as player-coach of 1st/15th Infantry Soccer Team that played a Thanksgiving Day game with the Republic of Georgia Army Team.
Mike’s military decorations include the Combat Action Badge, Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Army Commendation Medal, Air Force Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Good Conduct Medal, and three campaign medals. He was awarded the Overseas Military Service and Active Duty Army Ribbons, as well as Meritorious and Valorous Unit Citations.
Mike is survived by his parents, Marianne and Jack Cleary, Dallas; sisters, Erin Flanagan, her husband James and their three children, Bedford, N.H.; Shannon Cleary, Maui, HI; Kelly Cleary and Fred Tangeman, DeLand, FL; brother, Patrick Cleary, Dallas; his loving fiancée, Erin Kavanagh, Dallas, and his maternal grandfather Joseph Nemeth of Waverly, N.Y.
Jack Cleary, father of First Lt. Michael Cleary, offers heartfelt remarks during the dedication of the veterans memorial named in memory of his son.
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This Cleary Family photo below shows, from left, Brother Patrick Cleary, Sister Kelly Cleary, Mother Marianne Cleary and Lt. Michael Cleary. After Michael’s death in 2005, his family and friends chose to continue Michael’s legacy through the First Lieutenant Michael J. Cleary Memorial Fund of the Luzerne Foundation to advance the causes in the community that he gave his life supporting.
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Sister Shannon Cleary - June 14, 2008 -- Flag Day -- First Ever Run for the Fallen. Day 1, Mile 2.
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Couple marks fifth anniversary of son's death in Iraq
BY BOB KALINOWSKI (STAFF WRITER)Published: December 20, 2010
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
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.
New Jersey Run for the Fallen 2023 ~ Click on all photos below to enlarge...
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New Jersey Run for the Fallen 2022 ~ Click on all photos below to enlarge...
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