Family and friends gathered in St. Joseph's Church in Garden City May 20 to remember a hero who made the ultimate sacrifice for his country.

Garden City native and Chaminade High School graduate Michael L. LiCalzi, a Marine 1st lieutenant, drowned May 11 when his M1A1 battle tank rolled off a bridge into a canal in Al Anbar Province, Iraq. The 24-year-old platoon commander in Company A of the US Marine Corps 2nd Tank Battalion was deployed to Iraq in late March of this year.

1st Lt. LiCalzi is survived by his parents, Carol and Gregory; his twin brother, Gregory; his second brother, Luke; his sister, Elizabeth; and a large extended family. His family believes he would appreciate donations in his memory to Chaminade High School or the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation.

The May 29 Memorial Day Parade will be, in part, dedicated to 1st Lt. LiCalzi, who was buried at Long Island National Cemetery in Farmingdale.