I am honored to have the opportunity of commenting on the life of a dear friend, classmate, roommate, and fellow veteran, Michael William Pettit. Michael was married to a wonderful woman and lifelong partner, Mary. Michael died suddenly and unexpectedly on February 17, 2012.

Michael and I were USMA ’69 classmates and had the honor of rooming together for a year as 4th regiment “Lost 50’s” occupants. The “Lost 50’s” was a good place for us, especially Mike. Mike was famous for walking the fine line between the regulations and rules at the Academy and what he viewed as the correct way of doing things. He walked this fine line at his own peril with the tactical department, and never at the expense of his company mates. I, however, as his roommate, had the opportunity of meeting more OCs as a result of being his roommate, than I would normally have had. Michael was a corps squad varsity swimmer and worked incredibly hard at his “sprinting” races. I went to a few of his practices and was amazed at how hard those swimmers worked.

As Mike often said, he and I were academically in the 10 percent of our class that made the upper 90 percent possible, and as such were ranked Infantry, the branch we would have chosen anyway. After Infantry Basic Airborne and Ranger Schools, Mike was sent to Alaska for a short while before his tour in Vietnam. It was in Vietnam that Mike was assigned as an advisor to the South Vietnamese. To say Mike stood out at 6’5” was not an exaggeration.

I don’t know a lot of the details surrounding his job as an advisor, but I do know that he was directly involved in the South Vietnamese government’s attempts to thwart the North Vietnamese invasion in May of 1972. This was a most difficult and dangerous time for everyone located in his area, and Mike carried the burden of handling those memories for quite awhile. Mike did everything at a 110 percent pace – both personally and professionally.

After the Army, Mike became a successful businessman, owning restaurants and managing staff throughout California for several chains. He was involved with family and friends in all of his endeavors and became a most popular and creative member of his community. I had the pleasure of meeting with Mike and Mary in Sacramento a few years ago, and it was like “old home week” catching up on everything. 

In memory of Mike, these words seem appropriate:
I’d like the memory of me to be a happy one; I’d like an afterglow of smiles when life is done.
I’d like to leave an echo whispering softly down the ways, of laughing times and bright and sunny days.
I’d like the tears of those who grieve to dry before the sun, of happy memories that I leave when life is done.

Michael will be passionately missed by Mary, his wife, and his children and grandchildren Susan, “Troy,” Stacy, “Henry,” David, “Dace,” and Shelby, Lindsey, Nick, Mara, Kira; and by his sisters Sara and Debra.

I will also miss Michael very much. The world is without a most generous, thoughtful, considerate, successful and wonderful man. He was simply the best.

—Walter M. Mischler ’69, classmate