U.S. Marine Corps

Lance Corporal Michael S. Probst was born January 22, 1980, in Orange. He graduated from Irvine High School in 1998 and attended Chico State thereafter for three years. He also worked as a fitness instructor at a Tustin health club, often walking five miles each way to work. Michael joined the Marines in November 2004, and was assigned to the 1st Tank Battalion, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Twenty-nine Palms, California. He was sent to Iraq the following September, and excelled at his job as a tank gunner and driver. Michael worked in a squad searching for insurgents who were pouring into the country. On February 14, 2006, he and fellow Marines were patrolling a major highway when he saw an improvised bomb in the middle of a traffic lane. Michael, a veteran of more than 100 combat patrols, had learned to spot such explosives. Another bomb planted nearby exploded near the Humvee in which Michael and two others were patrolling. The blast killed Michael and wounded the other two Marines. Michael’s diligence at his job saved lives on his last patrol. His captain described him as someone who "never failed to accomplish his mission. He never failed to take care of his Marines. He was the kind of Marine we all want to be."