Sunday, November 9, 2025
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I was filled with deep sorrow to hear that my old friend Steve had passed away.
I served with Steve in the Marine Corps. We spent nearly our entire enlistment together the only exception being that he went to Boot Camp at Parris Island, and I went to San Diego. We used to rib each other constantly about who had it tougher in Boot Camp. We became friends pretty quickly, and by the time we went to Desert Storm, we were nearly inseparable.
We deployed together more than a couple of times, and I think what made us such good friends was how much we both loved our families. Steve was a big family guy always telling stories about back home and what was going on. He even tried to teach us some Italian, and when he wasn’t doing that, he was doing impersonations. He always had some funny voice or character that would crack us all up.
I remember when we were in the Persian Gulf during Desert Shield, Steve got a care package from home that had homemade chocolate chip cookies. He shared them with all of us, and to this day, they were the best chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever had. I must have written home about them, because before long my wife Renee called Joella and got the recipe. My family still makes those cookies every Christmas season a tradition that started with Steve’s generosity.
After Steve and Joella got married, their downstairs apartment became my second home. I probably overstayed my welcome, but they became family to me. Steve was always trying to be funny he loved being in the middle of the action no matter what was going on, and he just loved to make people laugh.
One of the best times we had was during our deployment to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Out of all our time together, that might’ve been the most fun. When we arrived, we split our unit into two sections so we had every other day off. Even when we did have to work, things were pretty relaxed. We spent a lot of time on the water, and Steve got so sunburned we called him “Lobster Man.” I’m not kidding he was bright red except for where his PT shorts had been. We gave him so much grief about that. I still have a picture of it that makes me laugh every time I see it.
I also remember our first trip to Korea. After our operation ended, we had some liberty in the city of Pusan (now called Busan). A few of us were exploring when someone noticed a couple of American girls our age walking down a busy street. We hustled across a couple of intersections to catch up only to find out they were nuns, out shopping in regular clothes! We hadn’t seen an American girl in so long, and we had to laugh at our luck. They were kind and pointed us toward some local sights.
Another time, we were convoying through South Korea and stopped for a break. Before long, a crowd of little kids gathered, curious and asking for food or change. We all gave away whatever scraps we had probably more than we should have but more kids kept coming. It was heartwarming and heartbreaking all at once, and it left a lasting impression on us.
When Desert Storm ended, things got pretty chaotic. People were taking leave, others were getting discharged. We were double-stacked with another company because there wasn’t enough barracks space. Steve and I were both held over to finish our enlistments. I went home for a couple of weeks, and I think Steve got discharged while I was gone, because I never got the chance to officially say goodbye.
About a year later, we met up at Niagara Falls. We spent a great day seeing the sights, and Steve and Joella invited us back to their home. We met the family, had a wonderful time, and were treated to our very first cannolis another memory I’ll always hold onto.
We lost touch for a while, as life tends to do that, but about six months ago we reconnected through our wives on Facebook Messenger.
These memories are from a long time ago, but as I write this, I can picture every one of them as if they happened yesterday. Steve was a good friend at a time when I really needed one. He’ll be missed deeply.
To Joella and the family I’m so sorry for your loss. You my family’s deepest sympathy, and I hope a few of these memories bring a small smile or some comfort.
To Steve Semper Fi, my brother. I know Moe’s gonna meet you at the gate.
