Valley native, 22, was expecting the birth of his first child

By RUSS OLIVO

WOONSOCKET — A city native, Marine Sgt. Michael Ferschke Jr. was killed in Iraq on Sunday, family members and friends said.

Ferschke, 22, was killed when a firefight broke out as his unit was conducting a house-to-house search for enemy combatants, said Douglas Cooper, a family friend.
“When they entered one of the homes, a gun battle broke out and he was fatally wounded,” Cooper said.
Cooper said Ferschke had been stationed in Fallujah, but the military has not yet informed Ferschke’s parents exactly where he died.
Ferschke is the son of Michael and Robin Ferschke of Maryville, Tenn., said Cooper. The Ferschkes had lived in Woonsocket until 1995, and they still have many relatives and friends in the area, he said.
The younger Ferschke joined the Marines directly after graduating from Maryville High School and had served in the military for almost five years, according to Cooper. He could have been discharged last October, but Ferschke agreed to reenlist on condition he would be returned to Iraq.
“Michael joined up right out of high school because he wanted to serve his country,” said Cooper. “This is something he had dreamed of doing for a long, long time.”
“He looked at all the other forces, but that didn’t look like a challenge for him,” his father, Michael Ferschke Sr. told the Associated Press. “He loved his job and he loved what he was doing.”
His mother, Robin, said Ferschke was an energetic and adventurous teenager who liked riding BMX bikes and skiing. They talked a lot by phone even while he was in Japan and he was always giving advice or trying to help his friends and family, she said.
“He was like a male ‘Dear Abby,’” Robin Ferschke said. “He helped me through things and I helped him. He always used to say his dad was his hero, but he’s our hero.”
Ferschke said her son was excited about becoming a father and talked a lot about the things he wanted to share with his child.
“He had lots of dreams, but the only one he wanted was to make sure that child grew up to be the best,” she said.
Ferschke was a radio operator with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit’s Deep Reconnaissance Platoon. He did his basic training at Parris Island, S.C., and was later stationed in Okinawa, Japan, where he met his future wife, Hota.
He and Hota were married approximately a month ago in a videoconference, and she was expecting their first child, according to Cooper.
In a Father’s Day message aired on WBIR-TV in Knoxville in June, Ferschke greeted his father and brother from Camp Fallujah, Iraq, and said, “Hopefully next year, I’ll be down there with you guys. Have a couple of beers, celebrate. Love you guys.”
The military notified Ferschke’s parents of his death by telephone on Sunday night just as two military officers were knocking on their door to inform them of his death. The Ferschkes are terribly shaken by the tragic news, but they were extremely proud of him and believed in the mission he was trying to achieve in Iraq, Cooper said.
“Michael will be greatly missed by all who loved him, all who knew him, and all who wanted to know him,” his parents said in a statement released with his obituary. “He was a very proud Marine, and his family was most important to him. Michael will always be remembered in all of our hearts forever. Thank you for all the calls, visits, and support you have given to us.” 
There will be no local memorial service for Ferschke, but funeral services are under the direction of the Smith Mortuary, 1402 Tuckaleechee Pike, Maryville, TN 37803.
In lieu of flowers, the family has established a Memorial Fund in Michael H. Ferschke Jr.’s name at Regions Bank for the benefit of his wife and child. 

— With reports from the Associated Press