Michael Tayaotao remembered

Sgt. Michael Tayaotao spent nine years in the Marines after graduating from high school in Sunnyvale. He was just wrapping up his third tour of duty in Iraq and hoped to return to the United States next month to resume his education, buy a home and go fishing with friends.

On Thursday, however, Tayaotao was killed during fighting in Anbar province. He was 27.

"He's a great man, that's all I can say," Tayaotao's uncle, Felix Tayaotao of Sunnyvale, said Tuesday. "He's a straightforward and brave man. He did what he can for his country, for his people."

Michael Tayaotao joined the Marines in 1998, the year he graduated from Fremont High School in Sunnyvale. For him, the military was a calling, his uncle said.

Tayaotao's father, Mario Tayaotao of Santa Clara, served in the Navy. As a kid, Michael dressed in his father's Navy uniform each Halloween, said his sister, Leah Tayaotao, 24, of Los Angeles.

Michael Tayaotao enjoyed firing guns, camping and fishing at Lake Poway in San Diego County, where he grew up, relatives said. He went back for the last time before returning to Iraq in March.

"This is my last tour," Tayaotao told his uncle then. "When I come back, we'll fix the house."

"Michael was an optimist and a compassionate and courageous individual," Leah Tayaotao said. "He once said, 'I look forward to what life has to offer.'

"It is Michael's infectious laugh that everyone most admires. I am absolutely fortunate to have had a brother who has guided me through life's challenges and reach for my dreams."

The sergeant was assigned to the 7th Engineer Support Battalion, 1st Marine Logistics Group, I Marine Expeditionary Force in Camp Pendleton (San Diego County).

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said Tayaotao's "courage is an example of the extraordinary commitment that is displayed every day by our nation's service members. Each time we lose a member of our armed forces, we are painfully reminded of the cost of freedom and democracy."

Besides his father and sister, Tayaotao leaves his mother, Heidi Tayaotao, of Ridgecrest (Kern County). His younger brother, Vincent, died in November.

From the San Francisco Chronicle

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