Marine Lance Cpl. Michael J. Halal

Died September 13, 2004 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

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22, of Glendale, Ariz.; assigned to 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; killed Sept. 13 in a non-combat-related vehicle accident in Anbar province, Iraq.

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Marine from Phoenix area killed in Iraq accident

By Anabelle Garay

Associated Press

PHOENIX — Encouraged by his parents to join the Marine Corps, Lance Cpl. Michael J. Halal grew from a troubled teenager into a determined man, his family said Wednesday.

“I knew that it would have given him the discipline that he badly needed. At that time, of course, we were at peace time. I really didn’t understand the risk involved,” said Ken Halal, of his son’s April 2001 enlistment.

Michael Halal, 22, of Glendale, Ariz., was killed in a non-combat vehicle accident on Monday during his second tour in Iraq. Lance Cpl. Cesar F. Machado-Olmos, 20, of Spanish Fork, Utah, also died in the accident.

Few details about the incident were released, and the Defense Department said the cause of the accident was under investigation.

Born in Phoenix, Michael Halal split his time between his father’s and his mother’s homes. He lived in Gilbert and Glendale, attending Gilbert High School and Centennial High School, his family said.

Although Michael Halal was bright, he had poor grades and eventually dropped out of high school, Ken Halal said.

An outgoing teenager, Mike spent a lot of time goofing off with his friends past curfew and had gotten caught with alcohol.

But his childhood goal of joining the Marine Corps led him to earn a GED and clean up his record.

“Both his grandfathers were in the military and one of his uncles was also,” said Ken Halal, 44. “He looked up to those people, and I think he respected them more. I think that drove him.”

Halal became a machine gunner in the Marine Corps and was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, based at Camp Lejeune, N.C.

At one point, Halal went AWOL for several months, but the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks motivated him to return. He faced a court martial, took a pay cut and spent time confined to the brig, said his mother, Jacqueline Mikkelson, of Glendale.

“He said, ‘I came back because I want to finish.’ It can be demoralizing, but it took courage,” said Mikkelson, 42.

Nearly two years ago, he married his wife, Tina, and the two planned to buy a home in the Phoenix area, Mikkelson said.

Michael Halal first shipped out to Iraq in January 2003 and returned before the end of the year.

But Michael Halal’s second deployment in late June to Iraq’s Anbar province had his father worried.

“I wasn’t very fond of his second tour,” Ken Halal said. “I was worried sick about him. He told me the region he was going into and I follow the news enough.”

He kept in frequent contact with the family and friends, however, checking on his younger siblings.

“They definitely idolized him, looked up to him. They were as close as they could be considering the age difference,” Ken Halal said.

Michael Halal was looking forward to starting a family and starting a career in law enforcement, his family said.

“It made me excited to see he was thinking that far ahead ... getting his life going, because it seemed like he was a late bloomer,” said Ken Halal.