Fallen Soldier: Michael Y. Tarlavsky

Capt. Michael Yury Tarlavsky, 30, was a Special Forces officer assigned to Company A, 1st Battalion, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Fort Campbell, Ky. He was fatally wounded in action on Aug. 12, 2004 in Najaf, Iraq when his unit came under small arms fire and grenade attack.

Capt. Tarlavsky’s family emigrated from Latvia when Michael was 5 and settled in New Orleans, then moved to Clifton, NJ in 1986. At Clifton High School, he was an Eagle Scout and captain of the school swim team. Athletics seemed to come naturally to her brother, Elina Tarlavsky said, noting that he never specifically trained to run marathons yet ran in nine of them.

He entered the Army in July of 1996 as an infantry officer and completed the Special Forces Qualifications Course at the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School, Fort Bragg, N.C., in 2001. He then moved to his first assignment as a detachment commander in Company C, 1st Battalion, 5th SFG. He has deployed in support of the Global War on Terrorism to both Afghanistan and Iraq.

Capt. Tarlavsky’s awards include the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart, Army Commendation Medals, Army Achievement Medals, the Air Assault and Parachutist Badges as well as the Ranger Tab among others. He is buried in Arlington, VA.

Capt. Tarlavsky is survived by his wife Tricia and their son, Joseph