Michael Franklin Sheridan was born February 7, 1951 in Coatesville, Pennsylvania, where he lived with his parents and three sisters - Judy, Shirley, and Elaine, and a foster sister, Mary Ann Bristow.  In 1965, Michael and his family moved to 427 Rosemont Avenue in Atglen, PA, where he attended Octorara High School.  

While in high school, Michael fell in love with Beverly Taylor from Parkesburg, PA.  In a poem she wrote about Michael after his death, Beverly referred to him as "the boy next door".  According to her poem, they enjoyed many wonderful memories in their youth.  But when it came time for Michael to enter the Marine Corps, he and Beverly had to perhaps grow up a little faster than they expected.  As Michael went off to war, they were engaged to be married.

In May of 1968, Michael  received his basic training at Parris Island, SC, and then was transferred to Camp Lejeune, NC. Michael was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 3rd Division, 3rd Marines, where he served in both H and S companies.  After initially serving in Cuba, Michael's unit was sent to Vietnam on June 1, 1969. 

Michael and his fellow marines fought along Mutter's Ridge, a ridgeline on the east-west DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) on the border between North and South Vietnam.  During August and September of 1969, the North Vietnamese attempted to take control of this area.  On August 10, 1969, while on patrol near Vandergrift Marine Base in South Vietnam's Quanq Tri Province, Michael Franklin Sheridan was killed in action by an enemy mortar barrage.

Along with his parents, Michael was survived by his three sisters, his foster sister, and his grandmothers, Mrs. Norma Sheridan, of W. Palm Beach, FL, and Mrs. Bertha Ellis, of Philadelphia (PA).

Beverly's Poem