Mike Lacche Boxing Magazine: December, 2013

Happy Holidays! Mike Lacche Boxing welcomes you, one of the more than unique 2,410 readers in 10 countries. 

This month in our family has two very important anniversaries: 

December 26: Joseph N. Ermer (WWII veteran, athlete: billiards), 95th birthday anniversary (centennial is 2018).

December 31: President Truman Proclamation WWII cessation of hostilities (centennial is 2046).

Joe Ermer's legacy remains alive, strong and vibrant in many people today and we celebrate a true mentor, friend and leader who lived by example and brought out the good in everyone around him.

Like many of those who serve in war, Joseph "Joe" N. Ermerlooked at every day after returning home as partially having a responsibility to honor those who didn't come home. Joe Ermer's memoirs, in part, were his way to keep light on those years and those greatest of American heroes. Click here for audio version.

"I was at a Health Seminar yesterday and the moderator asked the crowd 'do you know what day tomorrow is? 'I piped up, 'Pearl Harbor Day'. She was looking out at us and said, 'Um, I was thinking more of the last day to  change your HMO,' "Joe Ermer wrote December 7, 2011. "I remember those day, very vivid, just like it was yesterday. Faces -- all very clear. Still makes me think why I got to come home and others didn't."

By the early 1940s, Joe Ermer was a young man doing well: he had his parents and brother Bobby, friends, health and hope for a better future. But turmoil was growing in Europe; Joe, like many of his generation, had a deep sense of duty and gratitude to his country; this also was strengthened coming out of the Great Depression. "Everyone was tired of being tired."

"War clouds were beginning to gather. There was a draft lottery. I wound up with a very high number, but wanted some experience, while still keeping my job at the bank; so I joined the (New York) State Guard," Joe Ermer wrote. "I really enjoyed the experience: lots of drills, some firing practice, a few maneuvers on the beach (hunting saboteurs). The main benefit was getting military experience. That may have been a reason that the Navy put me right on active duty and bypassed Boot Camp. I made Corporal in the Guard and joined the Navy as a 3rd class PO, equivalent to a Buck Sergeant."
"I was inducted into the Navy in March '42. My first duty assignment was at Floyd Bennett Field. I was only there long enough to get my uniform and gear when orders came to transfer three (men)...to D.C. for further assignment. That 'further assignment' worried the rest of the guys, so they gave it to the last three on board: Egan, Eschbacher and Ermer. The three Es. We got traveling money and went to DC on the old Baltimore and Ohio. When get got there, the chief told us we would be the night shift and we'd get a living allowance and to go get a place to stay. This was wartime Washington DC. We were riding a trolley out the NW area, when the motorman heard us talking and said he might have something for us. 

He gave us the address and a note to his wife. They had an extra furnished bedroom with twin beds and a connecting closed-in sun porch with a couch. We took it gladly. They were nice people with a little girl. Our work was in the Precedence Section, which had to do with Officer Promotion. I learned so much about politics and the ins-and-outs of officer promotions that, later on, I was fairly popular with the Officers on the Elmore. 

Ruth A. Ermer

It turned out also that Phil Egan was engaged to another Ruth, who had also gone to Bayridge High School about a year ahead of my Ruth. We decided that the opportunity was too good to pass up and we collaborated in writing persuasive letters to our Ruths (identical letters). Phil had been a newspaper man in a small midwest town and between the two of us, we really put on the pressure. Ruth and I got married on August 23rd. I think Phil and his Ruth got married a week later.

I managed to find a furnished apartment with a nice old southern landlady. She would bring fruit cobblers. Ruth and I had a great honeymoon in the Poconos. We got pretty friendly with some of the other sailors and their wives. We'd picnic on the Potomac, go to amusement parks and eat out. Obviously, it couldn't last.

When we were advised that if we volunteered for Sea Duty, we might get what we asked for - I requested Destroyer Escort in the North Atlantic. I figured that I'd make it back to Brooklyn once in a while. I got it alright: Attack Transport in the South Pacific. Except for knowing my chances of getting home were now nil, I had always been fascinated  by the islands of the Pacific: read everything I could get on them.

Soon, Joe Ermer would see the best and the worst of 1942 South Pacific. Stay tuned for more on the life of a true friend, mentor, artist and role model: Joseph "Joe" N. Ermer. 
Joseph "Joe" N. Ermer Memoirs (click links below to view/hear):
Celebration of Life: Joseph N. Ermer
Celebration of life: early childhood: Joseph N. Ermer
Celebration of Life: sports in the early years: Joseph N. Ermer
Celebration of Life: early years: Boy Scouts: Joseph N. Ermer
Celebration of Life: WWII part one: Joseph N. Ermer
Celebration of Life: WWII part two: Joseph N. Ermer
Celebration of Life: WWII part three: Joseph N. Ermer
Celebration of Life: WWII part four: Joseph N. Ermer

Mike Lacche Boxing Magazine: November, 2013

Mike Lacche Boxing welcomes you, one of the more than unique 2,327 readers in 10 countries. 

The countdown is on! Less than 100 days until the centennial birthday anniversary of S/Sgt. Michael "Mike" Anthony Lacche (La'KAY), United States Army Welterweight Base Boxing Champion, Fort Kamehameha, Hawaii, 1942. 

During WWII,  S/Sgt. Michael "Mike" Anthony Lacche, was part of the Army's 304th Regiment, 4th Battalion, which helped liberate Europe; the 304th Regiment was later assigned to the 76th Division during post WWII stabilization work in Germany.

Key organization dates (info credit, Wikipedia.org) includes the 304th Regiment ordered to active duty on June 15, 1942; disbanding August 31, 1945 in Germany; and reconstituted and assigned to the 76th division on October 7, 1946.

During the Allied push into Germany, the 304th Regiment, 4th Battalion crossed into Eisenach, Germany, February 24, 1945 and pushed all the way to Penig, Germany when Germany's surrender was completed May 9, 1945.

Click here to see a very thorough web site honoring the 76th division.
During the Allied push into Germany, the 304th Regiment, 4th Battalion crossed into Eisenach, Germany, February 24, 1945 and pushed all the way to Penig, Germany when Germany's surrender was completed May 9, 1945.

Click here to see a very thorough web site honoring the 76th division.

Mike Lacche Boxing Magazine: October, 2013

Mike Lacche Boxing welcomes you, one of the more than unique 2,259 readers in 10 countries.

Armed Forces athletes are preparing to continue their respect athletic seasons this month in the face of the Federal Government shutdown. This includes the Armed Forces Championships the first week of February 2014.

Memories of Mike: Long before Mayweather, Ray Leonard, Mosely and De La Hoya was the World Welterweight Champion, Freddie ' Red' Cochrane.  The pride of Elizabeth, New Jersey, Cochrane and was the reigning Welterweight champion in 1942 but would not get to defend his title until the war ended. 

The WWII and Korean War eras marked a unique time in American sports history where many professional athletes joined the Armed Forces and would compete there in the sports they championed. This was perhaps the greatest unified venue of American athletics in our country's history.

Mike Lacche was an amateur but trained with the knowledge the Fort Kamehameha Boxing Championships could be his last. At the end of his journey, Mike would be an Army Champion - and then join his soliders overseas in the real fight of his life.

Mike Lacche Boxing Magazine: September, 2013

Mike Lacche Boxing welcomes you, one of the more than unique 2,194 readers in 10 countries.

September is an important month in the family history of S/Sgt. Michael "Mike" Anthony Lacche (La'KAY), United States Army Welterweight Base Boxing Champion, Fort Kamehameha, Hawaii, 1942.

September 10: Nick Lacche (brother, 125th birth anniversary is 2035)

September 19: Vildo Cerasoli (brother-in-law, family patriarch), birthday anniversary (centennial is 2016)

September 21: Mike Lacche enlistment anniversary in United States Army (1939).

When reflecting on his boxing career, Mike Lacche stressed the importance of boxing being a thinking sport; Mike compared boxing with chess except "when the king fell someone would get really hurt."

All of the Army athletes competing for the title were in good shape -- eight hours a day PT training in courses that most civilian athletes today would gladly sit out or only attempt one portion.

Part of Mike's training involved innovative uses of sand -- Fort Kamehameha was a short run from the Pacific Ocean and sandy beaches offered a good venue to train legs and core. Mike also practiced punching into sand to harden and develop muscles that his opponents may otherwise ignore.


Mike was a confident boxer but always approached each bout with the assumption his opponents were bigger, stronger and better. That 'me versus the world' attitude kept Mike alive during his 1942 title run, as well as, throughout World War II.
 

Mike Lacche Boxing Magazine: August, 2013

We are six months away from the centennial celebration of the birth of /Sgt. Michael "Mike" Anthony Lacche (La'KAY), United States Army Welterweight Base Boxing Champion, Fort Kamehameha, Hawaii, 1942.

It's been a long road and we salute all veterans past and still with us for their honor and bravery in defending this great country.

Memories of Mike



wikipedia.org

Mike Lacche was proud of becoming United States Army Welterweight Base Boxing Champion, Fort Kamehameha, Hawaii, 1942 and also earning the rank of Staff Sergeant during his military career.

Like many Americans who grew up fast without much money, the Armed Forces gave a sense of honor and community.

A Staff Sergeant in the U.S. Army is an E6 ranking, non-commissioned officers who served as squad leaders. That meant that Mike had to lead a group of young men in a global war; Mike believed in leading by example.

Boxing became both a venue to lead by example, as well as, an escape for Mike to throw his full focus on a goal that only he could be responsible for. Mike took pride in the long history of Army Base athletics.

Mike Lacche Boxing Magazine: July, 2013

Mike Lacche Boxing thanks all Servicemen and Servicewomen, their families, loved ones and their communities for the greatest support, sacrifice and dedication any American can make to keep this country safe and free. On this month, as we all celebrate another Independence Day, let us remember those who put deeds above words, sacrifice about personal safety, actions about comfort.

Thank you!

This month in family history, Mike Lacche Boxing: July 27: Restoration of family name (25th anniversary 2019).

About Mike Lacche Boxing

 

S/Sgt. Michael "Mike" Anthony Lacche (La'Kay) 1914 -1989 represented the fighting spirit that our service men and women take every day when defending our freedom. In coming months, we look forward to sharing more about Mike's boxing career. We are preparing for Mike's 100th anniversary on February 13, 2014 which will include a limited edition trading card.
 

Joseph "Joe" N. Ermer 1918 - 2012 was a wonderful role model, artist, friend and true competitor. Joe Ermer was a WWII Veteran with the United States Navy and spent every day after his military service helping those around him. Joe was a passionate billiards player and always brought the best out of everyone.

Mike Lacche Boxing Magazine: June, 2013

Mike Lacche Boxing salutes the 2012-2013 Army Black Knights baseball team which won their second consecutive Patriot League pennant and went on to be one of 64 teams to make the NCAA Division I playoffs.

Navy is sending both its men's and women's rowing teams to the National Championships and we wish them well too.

Our site readership is nearing 2,000 and we thank everyone for your on-going support.

This month in family history, Mike Lacche Boxing:  June 13: Nina Cerasoli Lacche (wife), birthday anniversary (centennial is 2020)


Memories of Mike: Mike and brother Nick Lacche lost their father young; and like many in the same situation had to grow up fast. Mike left public school early and took on jobs to help do his part to support the family.

Some evenings, when he had a pocket of a few hours of free time, Mike would train at the old Berwick YMCA building, which was constructed in 1906. There he and friend were given the sports coaching that they missed out on because they could no longer attend school.

The Berwick YMCA had two stories dedicated to different sports and wellness, with the third floor for administrative offices. The building was located on a corner lot in a convenient part of town so that young people had somewhere constructive to go.

Mike was part of a boxing class/team that met Tuesday and Thursday evenings, where dedicated coaches would teach the young men the fundamentals of the sport; Mike learning like a sponge, punched with the force of a heavyweight and had no fear taking on bigger opponents. In short, the seeds of a future champion were planted.

Mike Lacche Boxing Magazine: May, 2013

S/Sgt. Michael Anthony Lacche

In honor of Memorial Day: May 27, 2013.

Mike Lacche Boxing joins the community in honoring all the brave, dedicated, patriotic Americans who throughout their lifetimes of this great country put the lives of the country above their personal life and safety. Thank you for enabling millions of Americans to enjoy life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Joseph "Joe" N. Ermer was part of a crew that for years would take part in invasions, pick up troops, and get the badly wounded back to the hospital ship. Click here for audio version.

"We had four doctors and one dentist on board during invasions; we had three operating theatres and would usually take on board about 400 of the worst casualties. Needles to say, we had to bury some at sea - those who didn't make it.



Joseph "Joe" N. Ermer, WWII

At first my GQ station was in Damage Control, but I tried as a gunner on the 20 mm and I did quite well. They sent me to Gunnery School at Espiritu Santo in New Hebrides. After that, my GQ station was gunner on the 20 mm on top of Carpenter Shop near the fantail. I really liked the gun. It was the largest one-man gun, although I had a sightsetter and a loader. The gunner was strapped in and could fire in any direction, even directly overhead.

When we would run through a drum of shells, the loader would quickly change drums. The sightsetter would be given the range from fire control and would set it on the gunsight. The gunsight was electronic and would show the target in the middle of a lighted reticule. The site would actually compute the lead by figuring the travel and range together. However, when planes were too close, we would fire by instinct. There wouldn't be any point in using the sight.


The whole mount would be raised or lowered, like a barber chair, to fit the height of the gunner. Since I was tall, I'd have it up pretty high, which enabled me to fire down at the water. That was handy when the torpedo planes came in.

If the gun got too hot, it could jam. We had an extra barrel in the tube welded to the side of the gun tube. It was the job of the loader and sightsetter to put on asbestos gloves and twist out the six-foot-long barrel and replace it.

Things got difficult when the Japanese started using Kamikaze tactics. Sometimes there were as many as 300 planes attacking the fleet at once. During the invasion of Leyte, in the Philippines, we got to do some mine clearing. We were one of the lead APQ's and we streamed paravanes. They looked like underwater kites from the bow. We had to maintain a steady speeds to have them run properly. If the cable encountered a mine mooring, it would slide to the paravane and cut loose. The mine would come to the surface and we had sharp-shooters to blow them up.

We made quite a few landings in the Philippines. In one of them, we were involved in a night battle with a Japanese Destroyer off Manila Bay. During the Leyte Invasion, we were almost caught by the Japanese. The home fleet came down from the north and the East Indies fleet came from the southwest. They were after the transports off Leyre. That is the famous episode where they baited Halsey out with a flint in the north. He bit and rushed away, leaving the invasion fleet with just some escort carriers and a couple of cruisers a destroyer flotilla and some torpedo boats (JFK comes to mind).

Mike Lacche Boxing Magazine: April, 2013

Mike Lacche Boxing readers, by country, April, 2013

Welcome new readers: Mike Lacche Boxing welcomes all our new readers. At time of publication, this site has 1,730 unique readers in 10 countries.

We also appreciate all our readers who have/ who currently serve in the United States Armed Forces -- we thank you for your sacrifice, service and commitment.

West Point Boxing prepares for playoffs:

The 2013 NCBA National Championship will be held at Fox Woods Casino and Resort on April 4-6. Come see the Army Team fight to Victory! Tickets can be purchased at http://www.ncbaboxing.org/Tickets.aspx

Click here to see the West Point Boxing Facebook page.

Memories of Mike: Long before Mayweather, Ray Leonard, Mosely and De La Hoya was the World Welterweight Champion, Freddie ' Red' Cochrane. The pride of Elizabeth, New Jersey, Cochrane and was the reigning Welterweight champion in 1942 but would not get to defend his title until the war ended.

The WWII and Korean War eras marked a unique time in American sports history where many

Mike Lacche was an amateur but trained with the knowledge the Fort Kamehameha Boxing Championships could be his last. At the end of his journey, Mike would be an Army Champion - and then join his soliders overseas in the real fight of his life.
professional athletes joined the Armed Forces and would compete there in the sports they championed. This was perhaps the greatest unified venue of American athletics in our country's history.

Mike Lacche Boxing Magazine: March, 2013

Social media and family connections: Our story is same as many, and exciting because social media has enabled Mike Lacche's family to unite after some 50 years. Mike Lacche's older brother Nick Lacche spent most of his life in Pennsylvania and had an amazing daughter and subsequently many children that are now reunited under the Lacche family. Mike would have been thrilled.

Count down to 100: T-minus 11 months until the centennial celebration of Mike Lacche's birth. It will also be a celebration of his achievement as a past U.S. Army base boxing champion. Stay tune for more details.




Photo Credit: Wikipedia.org

When reflecting on his boxing career, Mike Lacche stressed the importance of boxing being a thinking sport; Mike compared boxing with chess except "when the king fell someone would get really hurt."

All of the Army athletes competing for the title were in good shape -- eight hours a day PT training in courses that most civilian athletes today would gladly sit out or only attempt one portion.

Part of Mike's training involved innovative uses of sand -- Fort Kamehameha was a short run from the Pacific Ocean and sandy beaches offered a good venue to train legs and core. Mike also practiced punching into sand to harden and develop muscles that his opponents may otherwise ignore.

Mike was a confident boxer but always approached each bout with the assumption his opponents were bigger, stronger and better. That 'me versus the world' attitude kept Mike alive during his 1942 title run, as well as, throughout World War II

February 13, 2013 | Happy Birthday, Mike Lacche

February 13, 2013

Happy Birthday, Grandpa.

Thanks for teaching me the value of family,

 and the importance of writing about it.

Be well, Justin.

 

Mike Lacche Boxing Magazine: February, 2013

February 13, 2013 -- Happy 99th birthday anniversary, Mike Lacche! We all can look back at when we were very young and find those people who in such a natural and giving way inspired us to dream big, be proud of our own histories and to believe we too are a part of a greater journey.

I'm confident if Mike Lacche were alive today, we would say something to the effect of, "write about someone important." My grandfather had no idea that he was important, that like many from the Greatest Generation, jumping out of an airplane in WWII into enemy territory was bravery that no medal can capture. My grandfather could have no idea that everyday getting up to work until the stars were at night, just so his family could have a better life, was a gift that is alive and well three generations later, and counting.

Mike Lacche always described himself as a "simple man" but I stand here, now one year from his 100th birthday anniversary, to tell you that he was a great man because anyone willing to repeatedly risk their life, dreams, and golden years to help enable the next generations is simply a hero. I proudly spend every day of my life sharing his story.

Mike Lacche -- thank you, Sir. Happy birthday.
 

Mike Lacche Boxing Magazine: January, 2013

Life is meant to be lived.

We honor those who helped make us who we are and one of many ways to honor anyone is to live life to its fullest. Everyone has a story that matters now and certainly will matter generations from now in your own respective families.

In this historic point in our human history with technology, take some time today to record part of your story and part of your family's stories.

We look back at great-great grandparents as almost godlike, but they were folks like us: they loved, they lost, they had doubts and challenges, they laughed, they dreamed, they lived.

Someday, in the grand journey of things not all that long away, a young person will look at your name and wonder what life possibly could have been like in the "last century" in the 2010s.

Whether word, video, picture, or any form of story -- leave a piece of the journey today.