Veteran Spotlight – Mike Koskie

Looking Back Veteran Spotlight

By Roger Glenn

Mike Koskie was born in Aurora, Illinois in 1946 to a Hungarian father and Romanian mother. It was a time when the memory of World War II was very much fresh on the minds of all Americans. The ‘peace dividend’ didn’t last as long as we hoped with the Korean War starting in the 1950s and then, of course, Vietnam in the 60s. But before he went off to war, his life was visited by a tragic accident at the paper mill where his father worked. A horrific accident crushed his father’s legs and left him in a wheelchair for the remainder of his life. But Uncle Sam needed soldiers for Vietnam, and so Mike had to leave his badly injured father and a 10-year old brother- beginning with his journey to Fort Polk, Louisiana for basic training in the United States Army. He wasn’t used to the warm weather, but it helped prepare him for the climate in Southeast Asia. He continued his training at Fort Ord, California and then on to Vietnam via Tokyo, Japan. He spent most of his one year tour of duty in Cam Ranh Bay working at an Air Force Hospital and with a Division of White Horse Koreans before being transferred to the South Bay on the South China Sea where he was assigned to the 864th Engineer Battalion which was a construction unit that built roads, bridges, runways and even ammunition depots. He was able to type better than any of his counterparts, and so he was given the job of his Company’s clerk and doubled as his Company Commander’s driver.

Mike arrived in Vietnam on the occasion of his 20th birthday, but as you might imagine there wasn’t any celebration. During his time in Vietnam he was exposed to Agent Orange, and that exposure has resulted in health-related issues that have plagued him since. But his spirit and mind remained ever sharp and he attained the rank of Sergeant before separating from the Inactive Ready Reserve in 1973. He spent his professional career in several different industries, but ultimately retired from General Mills in the early 2000s. By then he was living in Atlanta and had married his ‘lady in red’, whom he met at a social dance while she was wearing a red dress and a live red rose in her hair. Carolyn and he would be married for 33 years, but sadly she passed away from dementia in late 2021. They moved to Persimmon where they built a home in 2006 and like so many, simply fell in love with Rabun County and its breathtaking mountain landscapes.

If you visit Mike you’ll hear many a story regarding his life, his love for automobiles, and of late his adventures with two German pointers who have lots of energy and are clearly in love with their owner. He has a tremendous recall of dates and interesting stories to go along with each. Like so many, his time in the service was brief, but it created lasting memories and a bond of service that remains strong for a lifetime. He’s become a friend and neighbor in addition to being a fellow veteran, and I’m glad he lives right here with the other good people of Rabun County.

Service Pros