24Nov1948 – 23Oct1967
After Michael’s page was originally posted, his family contacted the website to generously share over 50 photos and other mementoes of Michael’s life.
Thank you very much for providing these personal items.
Edison Days
Michael graduated with the Class of 1966.
Military Service
Rank: Lance Corporal
Branch: United States Marine Corps
Unit: Company C – 1st Battalion – 1st Infantry Regiment – 1st Marine Division
Michael enlisted in the Marine Corps on August 4, 1966. He attended boot camp at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego in California and graduated with Platoon 2084.
After basic training he was able to return home on leave.
After leave he was shipped to Vietnam, arriving in country on 2Feb1967.
The 1st Infantry Regiment – 1st Marine Division had been in Vietnam for over 18 months by the time Michael arrived. It is likely he joined C Company as a replacement.
From the time of his arrival, Michael and C Company were consistently involved in named operations such as Operation Stone, Early, County Fair, Union I, Calhoun, Pike, Swift, and Medina.
A Catholic, Michael was able to attend mass and receive communion while in Vietnam.
On 20Oct1967 Michael joined Operation Osceola, a security operation around Quang Tri Combat Base in Quang Tri Province. On the 4th day of the operation, Michael and C Company were on a patrol just outside of the perimeter of the base when they came under enemy sniper fire. Michael was shot and killed by the sniper.
Michael’s body was returned to Minnesota for burial at Fort Snelling National Cemetery in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The funeral was held on 3Nov1967.
Michael was posthumously awarded the Gallantry Cross and the Military Merit Medal which were presented to his mother.
Michael’s name is inscribed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. on Panel 28E, Line 55.
Michael proudly wore his Edison class ring until the day he was killed in Vietnam.
The ring can be seen on his left ring finger in the photo below.
Courtesy of Michael’s family.
Michael’s name is engraved on a plaque located in the entry of St. Clement’s Catholic Church in NE Minneapolis, MN.
All 4 men whose names are on the plaque attended Edison High School and are featured on this site.
Michael’s name is also inscribed on the Minnesota Vietnam Memorial in St. Paul, Minnesota, and on a granite block at Veterans Memorial Park in Cambridge, Minnesota.
Postscript
A book titled “The Lions of Medina” written by Doyle D. Glass was published in 2007. The book is about Michael’s unit, Charlie Company – 1st Battalion – 1st Marine Regiment – 1st Marine Division. The story is about Operation Medina, an operation which Michael survived but 34 Marines were killed and at least 143 were wounded. Michael was killed just days after Operation Medina ended while on a routine patrol.
The following is an excerpt from the book.
PFC Steve Kane spent about a week in a field hospital recovering from the grenade explosion that had punctured his eardrums on Operation Medina. When he returned to Charlie Company, which was still located at Quang Tri, he was placed on light duty. On 23 October, he sought out his friend Mike LaVallee. On 10 October, the two Marines had placed a bet on the outcome of Game Six of the World Series between Boston and St. Louis. The game was played on 11 October. While in the hospital, Kane learned that Boston had defeated St. Louis 8-4 to tie up the series. The Red Sox lost Game Seven, which was played on 12 October, but Kane still won his bet with LaVallee.
When Kane found him, LaVallee was preparing to go out on a routine patrol. “Hey… Boston won. You owe me!” Kane said. “I’ll give it to you later,” LaVallee answered. “Then he went out on that patrol,” Kane says. “I didn’t think anything of it.”
The patrol returned around five that afternoon. When he saw the Marines, Kane approached the men, thinking: I’m going to collect my money. Kane couldn’t, however, find Mike LaVallee. “I looked at one of the guys and asked: ‘Hey, where’s LaVallee?”’ The man paused. “He bought the farm.” Was the response. “Ahh… your kidding me!,” Kane said. “I just talked to him before he went on the patrol. He owes me two bucks!” By the look on his face, however, Kane could tell that the Marine wasn’t kidding.
LCpl Mike LaVallee of Minneapolis, Minnesota survived the booby trap explosion that killed Lieutenant Vic Kemp and eight others on 15 August. He made it through Operation Medina to be appointed company radioman under Captain Major. On 23 October, eleven days after the battle on the small knoll, LaVallee’s luck ran out. The radioman was always a marked target. On that patrol, LaVallee paused to remove his helmet, wipe away the sweat and cool his head. “It’s pretty hot today,” he said to a fellow Marine. As the words left his mouth, a shot rang out from somewhere deep in the jungle. The bullet struck LaVallee in the head, between the eyes. An enemy sniper had been waiting patiently for an officer or radio operator to present himself as a target. LaVallee was killed instantly.
“That really bothered me,” Kane remembers. “We were good friends. He was a quiet, nice, easy-going guy. They picked him out because he had a radio on his back. I never bet with anyone again while I was in Vietnam.”
Edison Heroes 