Mario F. De Mattio was born on June 28, 1946. His home of record is Kenvil, NJ. “Mickey”, as he was known to his friends, graduated from Roxbury High School in 1964. He enjoyed baseball and football and was a member of both varsity teams. He served on the Student Council and was a member of the Nature Club. He continued his education at Miami Dade College for two years.

De Mattio’s high school yearbook entry says:
Tall, flirtatious, good looking…spends much of his time creating fast-moving, loud-sounding cars..likes to talk about hunting and racing.

Mickey enlisted in the US Marine Corps in May 1967, and attained the rank of Private (PVT). He arrived in Vietnam on February 14, 1968. He was assigned to F Company, 2nd Battalion, 27th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division.

Thirty-four days later, on March 17, 1968, Mario “Mickey” De Mattio was killed in action in South Vietnam while on a search and destroy mission. His platoon tripped a booby trap and exploded a mortar round. De Mattio and one other Marine were killed.

Sources: Joseph De Mattio (uncle), Pete Cullen (veteran) and NJVVMF.
12/17/2024