Michael Anthony Cerrone was born at what is now called Blanchfield Army Community Hospital in Clarksville, Tennessee on September 2, 1982. According to the Farmer's Almanac, it was a beautiful day with clear skies and a comfortable temperature of about 78 degrees. The hospital is located at Fort Campbell, where his father James Cerrone was stationed. Growing up, Mike lived in Georgia, Massachusetts, Germany, Virginia, Kansas, North Carolina, Louisiana, Rhode Island and New York. He was the typical military brat. He required virtually no supervision growing up. His parents never had to ask him to do his homework. His mother, Elizabeth Cerrone, says that he was always more mature than his years. As soon as he was old enough, he'd work his summers as a lifeguard at the base pool. He knew what he wanted and didn't care what anybody thought. If he wanted something, he worked until he achieved it. He was self-driven and motivated. No one needed to push him to achieve. "Even if you told him it was the screwyist idea in the world, he'd still go after it and make it work," said his father. And Mike loved his music and his musical taste was very diverse. He loved the old crooners, like Tony Bennett, Vic Damone, Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, and even Elvis. He'd be listening to the blues on his iPod and the very next song may be a rock tune, or a rap tune, and then maybe a country song. Music played a very large part in his life. Mike and his brother were great friends, but like two polar opposites. Tony was a big kid; Mike was small. Tony was very attached to the family; Mike was very independent. Mike would pay his respects to the family, then go about his business; Tony was always around the house. Mike cut his purse-strings early while Tony called his parents regularly to check up on them. But despite these differences, the brothers were tight, especially after Mike left for West Point. As a matter of fact, when Mike graduated West Point his brother drove across the country to be there for him. Mike's father eloquently talked about his son's life: "Michael was the All American kid. He played baseball, soccer, basketball, wrestled, and had a 2nd degree black belt in karate. Mike was a great big brother, even after his baby brother grew bigger than him! Michael was the nephew who shared a love for Star Wars and Star Trek, computers, video games and getting into mischief with his aunts and uncles. He was the grandson who learned that the proper way to eat a sandwich was with a glass of good Italian wine. He was also the grandson who left a lasting impression on his grandparent's garage wall. He loved playing pool, surfing, working on old cars and trucks. He drove a beautiful '66 Pontiac GTO. He loved watching the History Channel and James Bond. He loved guns and often went to the gun range. He loved his steaks extremely rare and his pototoes twice baked. His big dream in life was to own and manage his own bar - a "classy, british pub-style bar with pool tables and lots of wooden shelves." Everything about Mike was classy. Michael worked hard not to work hard; to do well, but to always have fun doing it; and to always do it at the last minute! His favorite response to me when I was growing impatient with his procrastination was 'DAD. When God was creating the world, had he been a cadet, he would have rested six days and then he would have pulled an all-nighter.' However, Mike was a cadet who looked out for his fellow cadets. Michael was a paratrooper; a man that embodied the "Warrior Ethos". He was like a little brother to his Platoon Sergeant and yet they were the best of friends. He was brave in combat, led from the front, and took care of his men. Mike Cerrone loved soldiers and loved doing things for them. He always went to the hospital and sat with expectant fathers from his platoon." His father joked about the fact that, while Mike was motivated and a good kid, you could always tell when he was around. He seemed to have trouble with the little things, like turning off lights, closing the cabinets, etc. "If he came to the house while we were out, we'd know he was here," remarked his parents. "We'd just follow the trail all around the house to know where he's been." And yet, when his parents needed him for something, like watching the dog, he was always there for them. He was always very responsible. When he had something to do, he put everything into it. It was just the little stuff that he didn't think was important enough to spend his time on. "He never sweat the small stuff," according to his mom. Mike had a deep-seated sense of responsibility about taking care of soldiers. The day he graduated Airborne School, Mike was given the rest of the day off to relax before heading home. On his way to the Post Exchange (the military's department store), he noticed a sergeant sitting on the curb with a bunch of his bags. The sergeant had graduated with his Airborne class as well. His flight wasn't scheduled to depart until the next day. It would be another 48 hours before the soldier would be able to see his family. Mike insisted that he throw his bags in the back of his truck and drove him all the way to Atlanta - a two and a half hour drive one way - to catch an earlier flight home. The sergeant made it home to his family that night. Mike never got the NCOs name, but after he passed away, the NCO sent his father a letter telling him the story and letting him know that he had raised a "pretty squared away LT" (pronounced el-tee). Every time the wife of a soldier in Mike's platoon would go into labor, he'd stay there at the hospital the whole time and sit with the father-to-be. Many times, Mike was one of the first people to hold the newborn baby. Though he had none of his own, he loved children. Mike's father is a General in the Army, but no one he came in contact with would have known it. He wanted to make sure that everything he achieved in the Army, he got on his own and not as a result of who his father was. Some of his best friends with whom he played pool didn't realize the lineage for months. Even then, they didn't learn it from Mike. His battalion commander called him "a fearless leader who led from the front; and his soldiers respected him." After high school, Mike only applied to one college - The United States Military Academy at West Point. Initially, he wanted to go to the Air Force Academy. Then, one day he came home and told his dad he had changed his mind. Mike realized that if he didn't qualify to fly a fighter jet for any reason, there was nothing else the Air Force offered that he was interested in. It was at that point that he decided on West Point. The problem was that Mike was a perpetual procrastinator. His father had to constantly get onto him about turning in his paperwork or he wasn't going to get in at all. The idea of only applying to one college made his mother nervous. He told his parents that if he didn't get in, he'd enlist in the military. He would either go to college or the West Point prep school. Either way, he was dead set on getting in and nothing was going to stop him. He always thought that he'd be a better officer if he was enlisted first. Not surprisingly, he was accepted. While at the Academy, Mike was on the cannon crew that fired the cannons during the football games every time the cadets scored a touchdown. Needless to say, cleaning the cannons wasn't the hardest part of being a student at West Point. He didn't fire it much. Mike graduated from West Point and was commissioned an Infantry officer. He had wanted to be a sniper for many years. One day, his mother, Elizabeth, went into his room and noticed a white book laying on his bed titled "The Sniper's Bible". It was what he wanted to do. He loved shooting. While most guys liked to hang out watching ball games, Mike would be out at the shooting range with his buddies perfecting his aim. He was invited to join the All Army Rifle Team. After completing Infantry Officer Basic Course at Fort Benning, GA, he was sent to Fort Bragg, NC. Once there, he was assigned to the 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, as a platoon leader. All he wanted to be as a young lieutenant was a platoon leader. There was talk of him possibly becoming the executive officer of his company and he absolutely dreaded the idea. Like the company commander, the executive officer is responsible for everything that happens or fails to happen in the planning, execution, and support of company operations. They do all the work and get none of the credit. Their main duties lie in the motor pool. He arrived at the unit in November 2004 and deployed to Iraq on his father's birthday in August, saving him from the unenviable XO duty. Prior to leaving for Iraq, Mike had submitted a Special Forces packet. He hoped to come back from Iraq and attend the assessment and selection course ("Q course") and the SF advanced officer course. His unit was sent to Samarrah, Iraq. The bulk of his duties encompassed 24-48 hour presence patrols. His platoon was the go-to platoon for many security missions. They had proven themselves stateside when they were sent to Fort Polk, Louisiana for their one-month predeployment train-up. The trainers there remarked about how well Mike's platoon did, singling out his leadership skills on the 'battlefield'. On 12 November, Mike and his platoon sergeant playfully argued over who would be in the front of the convoy. For command and control purposes, the platoon leader was typically somewhere in the middle of a convoy. He wanted to prove to them that leaders don't ride in the middle because they're scared. Mike wanted to show his men that he was a leader that wasn't afraid to be out in front and basically put his foot down to get a front seat in the convoy. Once that fight was won, the gunners began to fight over who was going to ride with him and protect their leader. Specialist Harry "Buck" Winkler won the honor that day. During the patrol, Mike exited his Humvee to check out a suspicious car. Buck was covering the platoon from the turret. As Mike neared the vehicle, a man exited the car and approached the Humvee. Mike and Buck were killed by an IED that detonated nearby. Mike was 23 years old. Mike leaves behind his father, Brigadier General James Cerrone, his mother, Elizabeth Cerrone, and his younger brother, ROTC Cadet James "Tony" Cerrone. Amy Rodriguez, fellow West Point cadet - "One of my fondest memories of Mike was during Beast, when he came and checked on me. He was the first friendly familiar face I saw in several weeks. I know he did the same for others like Mason Thornal, Lorisa Seward, Chad Amacker and many more. Later in the year he would swing by our rooms just to see how things were going." Rusty Schulten, Army friend and fellow West Point cadet - "I knew Mike at school, but we never became real friends until Ft. Benning. I could count on him for anything, at any hour of the night. We did everything together, as if we'd been best friends for life. He touched a lot of lives, many of whom may never hear the news of his passing, but all of whom are better for their time spent with him." Christopher C. Turner, friend and fellow soldier - "Six years ago we all showed up at USMA, 18-year-old kids thinking we knew what we were getting ourselves into. We all learned quickly we had no clue. I enjoyed being in your beast squad. You were a natural born leader, and were one of the best in the company, and I did look up to you. You were able to naturally do what I tried to get myself to do. I am sad to see that you have been taken away from us. The world is at a loss without you. Your duty was well performed, honor untarned, the country was forever armed while you were on duty. Be thou at peace my friend. Dogs of War, Lead the Pack." NEWS ABOUT CPT Mike Cerrone 
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