Wounded Marine ‘He would do anything for his friends’

‘He would do anything for his friends’
Community responds to story of local boy-turned-Marine injured in Afghanistan
By Lloyd Nelson
La Grange Suburban Life
Posted Nov 30, 2011
La Grange, IL —
When Ryan Kelly, Matt Scheef and Jim Williams first walked into Walter Reed Medical Center in Maryland to see their childhood friend, they didn’t know what to expect.

Josh Misiewicz, 23, of La Grange Park, was severely injured in July while on patrol in Helmond Province in Afghanistan after stepping on a landmine. He lost both his legs and shattered his eardrums.

But they had a surprise for him.

Misiewicz couldn’t grow facial hair, but he was a big supporter of the mustache, so when his three closest friends walked into the hospital room, they “rocked the ‘stache” in his honor.

“He smiled,” 23-year-old Kelly, of Wheaton, said of his friend’s reaction to seeing them with their new mustaches.

It was a much-needed moment for his three buddies who’d spent months worrying about the guy they grew up with.

But they weren’t the only ones concerned. Upon hearing about Misiewicz, the community responded with a plethora of fundraisers, including the latest at Bella Banquets on Friday.

A former Illinois State Hockey League all-star and student at Lyons Township High School, Misiewicz was always in great shape. He was, his friends admitted, the best hockey player with them on the ice — a winger with a real knack for scoring.

“He could stick handle through anybody,” Kelly said. “He was untouchable.”
read more here