War vet, 26, recalled for courage, character
Spotswood native, who served in Iraq, killed in motorcycle accident
BY JESSICA SMITH
Staff Writer

Michael S. Kissling is shown during his service with the U.S. Army in Iraq, where he served from August 2004 to October 2005.

For Michael S. Kissling, bravery was a way of life.Whether he was serving his country in Iraq or parachuting from a plane, the Spotswood native was not afraid to take part in challenges many people would shy away from.

"He was very adventurous. He lived life to the fullest, and he served his country with pride," said Kissling's mother, Julie Milazzo.

Kissling, who was 26, died Aug. 17 in Jacksonville, Fla., as a result of injuries sustained from a motorcycle accident. He had lost control of his motorcycle when he rode onto the gravel shoulder of an exit ramp after a car pulled out in front of him, relatives said.

Kissling enlisted in the U.S. Army National Guard in 2003 after going to visit his brother, Charles Jr., now a second lieutenant in Florida. He was deployed to Iraq and served there from August 2004 to October 2005. While serving there, Kissling and his unit started a program to donate school supplies to Iraqi children.

Milazzo, along with her fellow congregants at Christ Memorial Lutheran Church in East Brunswick, donated and shipped the supplies.

After finishing his active duty, Kissling worked as a Black Hawk helicopter aircraft mechanic at Army Aviation Support Facility No. 1 at Cecil Field, Fla. His commanding officers sent letters to his parents telling them how good he was at fixing helicopters, said Milazzo, who lives in Spotswood.

He had recently earned his Aircraft Crewman Wings, and was taking steps to become a helicopter pilot.

An avid motorcyclist, Kissling had been riding since his childhood in Spotswood, when he often rode dirt bikes. Kissling's thrill-seeking nature often tested his mother's nerves while he was growing up.

When he was a young child, Milazzo remembers making the bed one morning in her second-floor bedroom only to look out the window and see her son perched high in a tree outside.

"He was very curious and adventurous as a boy, and I think that's why he did so well in the military," said Charles Kissling, Michael's father.

At 18, Michael Kissling took a cross-country trip with a friend in an old Volkswagen bus. Despite numerous breakdowns along the way, the boys made it back from their adventure.

"They had a great time, but I'll tell you, I got a few gray hairs out of that one," said Milazzo.

He also enjoyed skydiving, skiing, water sports and other outdoor sports, his mother said. Army Sgt. Matt Griggs, a close friend and colleague of Kissling's, said the two of them were "adrenaline junkies." When they were stationed together at Fort Dix, the two friends frequently went to Six Flags Great Adventure to ride the roller coasters. Griggs would often pay visits to Spotswood with Kissling on weekends.

"He kind of pulled me right in as part of his family," Griggs said.

Kissling's sister, Alyssa Milazzo, also lives in Spotswood.

Prior to his military service, Kissling worked at the Brunswick Grove Restaurant in East Brunswick and at Dock's Corner Tavern in Jamesburg since the age of 14.

"He was quite the character, very funny and lighthearted," said Sheri Rapp, a bartender at Brunswick Grove who worked with Michael.

She recalled a Christmas party from Michael's youth, when he jokingly proposed to her on one knee, presenting her with a ring crafted out of a dollar bill. Rapp sent Kissling a photograph of the moment to bring him a smile when he was in Iraq.

Among Kissling's accomplishments were the Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Iraqi Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, and Nation Defense Service Medal. He was humble about his achievements, and his father said there were some that even he had not been made aware of.

"He was twice the man that I am today, and he was half my age," said his father, now a resident of Hayesville, N.C.

The impact Kissling made on the world was evident when approximately 400 to 600 people turned out for an Aug. 23 memorial service in East Brunswick, his parents said. Attendees flew in from locations all over the country to pay their respects.

Another memorial service will be held by Kissling's military colleagues on Saturday at Camp Blanding in Jacksonville. There, he will be awarded the Distinguished Service Medal.

His interment will be held at the Brigadier General William C. Doyle Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Arnytown on Sept. 21.