MARWAN KASHKOUSH: "He said dad, I need to make a difference. I think I can make a difference to those people over there."
"Dad" is Marwan Kashkoush of Chagrin Falls. He speaks crisply and resolutely as he recalls his son's decision to join the Corps. Marwan Kashkoush says Michael was more than a son...he was a buddy, a best friend, a companion.
The elder Kashkoush thought his son was officer material and urged him to go to college before joining the corps. But Michael had tried college, and choose to enter the service as a private. He explained it this way:
KASHKOUSH: "Dad, how can I be an officer if I don't understand what the grunts do? I need to understand what the grunts do to become a good officer."
Michael Kashkoush served as a counter intelligence specialist. He mastered Arabic in just six months and was promoted to Sergent.
Friends, politicians, fellow Marines, and his commanding officer - spoke Tuesday about the man they called Kash...and the valor he shares with all the 4,692 marines, soldiers, sailors and airmen who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan.
KASHKOUSH: "Michael's a symbol of all the men and women who gave up their lives, the ultimate sacrifice, they gave up their lives, so you and I can have the life that we have."
It was Michael's step-mother Phoebe who had the idea to dedicate the Post Office in her Marine's honor. Senator George Voinovich and Representative Steven LaTourette, among others, made that happen. They were on hand for the dedication as was State Rep Josh Mandel - himself just back from Iraq. Mandel - called Kaskoush.... "A Marine's Marine."
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