Carl L. Mickens was born on April 9, 1944, to Mr. and Mrs. Carl D. Mickens. His home of record is Belleville, NJ. Carl had two sisters, Linda and Shirley.

Carl completed three years towards a teaching degree at Montclair State College. While at Montclair State, Mickens was a member of the Kappa Sigma Chi Fraternity. He was also a member of the choir at Grace Episcopal Church in Newark, NJ.

Earlier he attended night school at Fairleigh Dickinson University. Mickens had completed four years of apprenticeship as a tool and die maker at Western Electric Company in Kearny, NJ. He hoped to put his experience as a tool and die maker, and his teaching degree, to use as a vocational high school teacher.

Mickens was drafted into the US Army in July 1969. After completing basic training at Fort Dix, he took advanced training at Fort Lewis, WA, and Fort Benning, GA. He was sent to Vietnam with the 101st Airborne Division where he attained the rank of Corporal (CPL).

Mickens was killed in action on July 4, 1970, when he was caught in a booby trap explosion while he was on a military mission.

The funeral services were arranged by the S. W. Brown and Son Funeral Home in Nutley, NJ. Mass was offered in Grace Episcopal Church in Newark.

Dante Volpone was the first of the Newark and Belleville guys I grew up with and went to St. Peter’s Elementary School with that was killed in Vietnam. The others were Walter Queen, Gerald Brown, and Carl Mickens. Walter was an Eagle Scout I met at Camp Mochican. Gerry was a state champion fencer at Essex Catholic, and Carl was a fencer and fraternity brother at Montclair State College. Interesting isn’t it that they were all working class kids from NJ’s urban neighborhoods.

I’ll never forget my last letter from Carl in June of 1970, less than a month before he stepped on the booby trap that cut him in half, admonishing his brothers in Kappa Sigma Chi at Montclair State. “I hear there are protests back in the States against the war. Don’t sit around the frat table and do nothing. Protest the war and do everything in your power to put an end to this. Whatever you do, don’t come here!”

Written by Dave Bryer, Friend

Sources: Anthony Buccino (author of Belleville Sons Honor Roll), Dave Bryer (friend), John Crowley (friend) and NJVVMF.
12/17/2024