Golaszewski, one of seven children, “cared deeply about his family,” his mother recalls. One of his three brothers attended the U.S. Military Academy and another served in Vietnam. Golaszewski attended Central and Overbrook high schools and began Army active duty two days after Christmas 1968. He was sent to Vietnam in October 1969, and assigned to the 500th Engineer Company. In May 1970, the 19-year-old crane shovel operator wrote, “I should be home soon. 148 days left.” The Army specialist five died on June 7, 1970. He was survived by his parents, three brothers and three sisters.