Michael Yaworsky was born in Ingolstadt, Germany, on December 20, 1946. His home of record is Somerset, NJ. He had three sisters – Catherine, Olga and Sonia. In May of 1949, Michael and his family were sponsored to come to the United States. The family sailed from Bremen, Germany on the USS General Mercer and settled in New York City.

Michael attended St. George Ukrainian Catholic School in New York City. In July of 1959, Michael and his family moved to Somerset, NJ. Michael enjoyed summers at the New Jersey beaches and fishing. He had many interests including building model cars from kits, lifting weights, working on stock cars, and attending car races in Englishtown, NJ. Michael’s dream was to one day own his own auto repair shop. Michael enjoyed cooking, music, fishing and the company of his many friends and family.

While attending Franklin High School, Michael started as a cart boy at Great Eastern Mills Supermarket in North Plainfield and worked himself up to Dairy Manager. He was proud to be part of the management team. Michael always strived to improve himself.

At age 18, Michael was drafted and went through Boot Camp at Fort Dix, NJ. Military police training followed at Fort Herrington, VA, and Fort Meade, MD. Michael was with the Quartermaster Division when he was sent to Vietnam.

Michael served in the US Army where he attained the rank of Specialist 4 (SP4). In his letters home, Michael was upbeat and happy. In one of his letters, Michael described the challenge of maneuvering a two-ton truck through the uncontrolled, congested traffic in Vietnam. He was killed in action in Bear Cat, Long Binh, Vietnam on January 19, 1968, just a day before he was to leave for home.

Sources: Yaworksy Family, Michael Herrington (Vietnam Veteran) and NJVVMF.
12/17/2024