Remembering CTR1 (EXW) Michael J. Strange, USN, KIA Afghanistan

Cryptologic Technician (Collection) 1st Class (EXW) Michael J. Strange hailed from the historic city of Philadelphia. Many rightfully consider the city of Boston as the “cradle of liberty”, but it is also true that the city on the banks of the Schuylkill River played a critical role in securing the nation’s freedom. Today, the city of Philadelphia looks very different from the time when men like Franklin and Lafayette walked its streets, but despite the centuries that have passed, the city continues to produce patriots who are willing to defend the nation in times of peril.

As a young man, Michael attended the local parochial school and played football and baseball for the local youth organizations. Summers were spent crabbing and fishing with his family on Delaware’s eastern shore. By his senior year at North Catholic High, he had made the decision to join the service and two months after graduation, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy.