Michael Eugene Randall, Sr
Corporal
A CO, 2ND BN, 12TH INFANTRY, 25TH INF DIV, USARV Army of the United States Noblesville, Indiana July 18, 1947 to October 10, 1968 MICHAEL E RANDALL Sr is on the Wall at Panel W41, Line 42 |
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CPL MICHAEL EUGENE RANDALL Sr
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Mike was the greatest guy. We were married only 34 days after we met. We ran away to get married and I always knew he loved me because of the following. We were driving out of the state of Indiana (headed to Tennessee) with his mother. I had been sleeping in the front seat of the car (an Edsel); the car hit a hard bump and woke me a little. Just as I started to go back to sleep, his mother said, "Maybe you should take her back home". I froze! Mike's next answer said everything "Mom, I would rather be dead then live another day without Patty, I love her that much". (I was the luckiest person on the earth!) I got pregnant on our wedding night, so 9 1/2 months later we had Michael E. Randall, Jr. Mike was so excited. Then 4 months later I'm pregnant again, which resulted in our daughter (Michele). He always told me "You're as fertile as the Napa Valley". I love to keep the house warm (by my standards, but hot by others'). Mike would tell me "You must know where you're going when you die, because you're getting ready now". Mike liked to play the drums and sing. When we would go down the road in the car he was always pretending he was playing, and sang to me. He was everything parents did not want for their daughter (in appearances). He had a Beatle haircut, pegged pants, black leather jacket, and smoked. When he asked me out I said, "You will need to have a shave and haircut, plus change into better clothes or I can't get out the front door". Would you believe when he came to get me he had done all that and more. I knew he was really respectful of me. He was a non-union block and brick mason, he said that way he could show people what he did for a living. If he worked in an office or factory he could only show us where he worked, not what he created. When Mike told me he had enlisted, he said, "I want to be sure you and little baby man are safe. I would rather fight over there, than here in this country. I want to be sure you and the babies are taken care of, if anything happens to me. You need to know if I can't come back with all my body parts I don't want to come back." I can truly say I had a great love at least once in my life.
Patricia J. Randall
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I first met Michael E. Randall Jr, Michael E. Randall Sr's only son, in 1989 and our paths didn't meet up again til May of 2001, when we had our first date. The thing I remember about this date was how much he talked about his father and how he died fighting for this country and saving two of his war buddies. I could tell right away that he missed his father greatly. He told me the story of how his dad would tap on his bedroom window to get Mike to roll over in his crib. When 9/11 happened Patty, Mike and Michael (Michael, Jr - son) all went to Washington. I remember Mike talking about seeing his father's name on the Wall and where it was at. He knew what panel and what row his dad's name was on. Mike and I were married on Jan 15, 2005. After listening to all the stories from Patty about Mike's dad and knowing Mike as long as I have known him, I see a lot of Michael Sr in Michael Jr. But those are all the traits that I love about him. I knew after the first date he would be my husband. He truly cares about me as his dad cared about Patty.
From his daughter-in-law, |
A Note from The Virtual Wall
At daybreak Alpha reentered the engagement area and recovered the bodies of the two men who had fallen in the open. The area where Handrahan went down had been hit by bombs and his body was not found. Three of the five dead were awarded posthumous Distinguished Service Crosses, all for their efforts to protect and recover the men hit by the initial fires. The five men were |
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