Michael Lee Zappia

Michael Lee Zappia was born in New York and moved to Des Moines as a newborn. Zappia attended the Des Moines school district and was a member of the Sacred Heart Church in Des Moines. Zappia then moved to Coolidge, AZ and graduated from the Coolidge High School. Classmates described Zappia as an athletic, attractive, and smart young man. Zappia was interested in basketball and desired to be a priest upon completing his military service. He joined the Marine Corps and served as a rifleman when he deployed to South Vietnam in September 1968. PFC Zappia was killed on February 25, 1969 from fragmentation wounds sustained from an enemy explosive. Twelve other Marines were killed during the incident. The 21-year-old’s body was buried in a family plot at the Evergreen Cemetery in Fairfield.