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May 25, 2025
I had an uncle that I never met...
His name was Michael Koshuta, but everyone called him "Mickey."
He was just 21 years old when he died on May 22, 1943.
Mickey was serving in the United States Army Air Forces when his B-25 bomber crashed short of the runway during a training mission.
He was one of my four uncles who answered the call during World War II.
More than 80 years ago, this country came knocking, asking ordinary men-bakers, mechanics, teachers, stone masons, and steel workers - to do the extraordinary: to literally save the world.
And they did it.
These men set aside their tools, their pencils, their dreams, and their lives, stood up, and said, "OK, tell us where to go and what to do."
They went out and saved the world.
What always struck me about my uncles and others of that generation was their humility.
You'd never guess they were the ones who SAVED THE WORLD.
All they wanted was to finish the job and get back home.
I used to joke that my uncles only left their hometowns for funerals and World Wars-and if they could've won the war in a day, they'd have been home for dinner.
Sadly, too many, like Mickey, never made it home.
We owe them an immeasurable debt for their sacrifice.
I was fortunate to know my three uncles who survived the war, to hear their stories and watch them grow old.
But I never got that chance with Uncle Mickey. I often wonder how life might've been different had he lived.
Mickey was one of over 400,000 U.S. servicemen who gave their lives during World War II.
Just imagine how our world might be different if they'd all come home.
We'll never know them, but we can honor them.
So, this Memorial Day weekend 2025, I want to introduce you to my Uncle Mickey through some of his photos, letters, and artwork.
I'm sure he'd have been happy to meet you.
