Age: 30
Hometown: Portville, NY
Born: April 24, 1975
Died: June 28, 2005
Bio from Arlington Cemetery.net
McGreevy grew up in Portville, New York, a hamlet 80 miles south of Buffalo. Kevin Curran , his high school principal, said McGreevy was a top athlete and scholar who went on to graduate from the Naval Academy in 1997.
“I called a retired teacher who knew Mike when he was here and the first thing out of his mouth was, ‘He’s the best we ever had,’ ” Curran said Friday in a telephone interview.
McGreevy ran track, setting a school record for the 800-meter run, wrestled, and played soccer and youth ice hockey.
“We had a teacher go through the yearbook and just put Post-its on pages where his picture was,” Curran said. “He was involved in everything: Student Council, National Honor Society, clubs, athletics.”
Friends gathered near the McGreevy house Friday afternoon to remember the neighbor who helped fix their fences, jogged through the streets with his infant daughter in a stroller and mowed his lawn in gym shorts and combat boots.
His mother, Patty, recently moved to Virginia Beach to be closer to Michael; his wife, Laura; and their 1-year-old daughter.
When at home, he spent much of his time doting on his daughter. “He valued those moments,” said Sherry Snyder, a neighbor. “I don’t think there’s anything Mike regretted.”
Lieutenant Michael M. McGreevy graduated from the Naval Academy and went on to become members of the SEALs, one of the elite fighting forces in the world.
Lieutenant McGreevy, who was the Naval Academy class of 1997′s secretary, not only was popular, but also displayed scholarly aptitude, friends said.
While in high school in Portville, New York, Lieutenant McGreevy wanted to take state Regents exam in German – only his school didn’t offer the language. He bought German books and taught himself so well, he passed the exam.
Gary Swetland, Lieutenant McGreevy’s former high school track coach, recalled the young man as one of
the most determined people he ever met.
He said Lieutenant McGreevy would run more than 3 miles to school each morning, to be there by 6 a.m. so that he could get in a session of strength building before classes started.
“He grew from a thin-as-a-rail, somewhat awkward teen, to an absolute physical stud of a man,” said Mr. Swetland, who kept in touch with McGreevy and attended his graduation from the Naval Academy.
“You felt compelled to stand and salute” when he entered a room, Mr. Swetland said.
Military friends of McGreevy described him as the embodiment of American ideals.
“Hold him up as high as you can – he was a great American and a great person,” said Marine Captain Aaron Shelley of San Diego, California, McGreevy’s friend and freshman year roommate at the academy. “He did well in everything I saw him do – at the same time, he was very, very humble about it and was always ready to help others.”
McGreevy finished first in his SEAL class.
He had been in Afghanistan since early April and is survived by his wife, Laura, and 14-month-old daughter, Molly, his mother Patricia Mackin and father Michael McGreevy Sr.
“He died doing what he always wanted to do,” said former Marine Captain. Thomas Wagner, McGreevy’s classmate at the academy and the president of the Class of 1997.
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