Just months after the attacks on Pearl Harbor, S/Sgt. Michael "Mike" Anthony Lacche arrived at Ft. Fort Kamehameha with the same humility, dedication, and goals of every other brave soldier going to war to protect the United States. With the knowledge he too would be sent overseas into the thick of battle, boxing wasn't Mike Lacche's side activity -- it was a brief relief from the weight of the enormous moment that was around everyone. In today's world, most athletes training for boxing or any other tournament set their entire schedules around the event; even amateur athletes with different "day jobs" still channel their focus and energy to peak during training and competition.
For athletes in the Armed Forces, and especially during times of war, every moment is magnified, every decision accentuated, every step deliberate -- for any day could be their last.
In the spring of 1942, Mike Lacche's bus pulled into the entrance of Ft. Fort Kamehameha -- and along with his Army brothers -- he reported to his assigned barracks, threw a handful of warm water on his face and then lined up, stood at attention and awaited instructions from the commanding officer.
