A highly decorated combat veteran with 24 months in Vietnam, Stahl was the Intel Sgt for A-102 at Tien Phuoc Special Forces Camp and later spent time in covert reconnaissance with the top secret unit known as Military Assistance Command, Vietnam - Studies and Observations Group.

Michael Gerard Stahl was born on January 28, 1945, in Millard Fillmore Hospital in Buffalo, NY.

In August 1967 then E-5 Stahl was assigned to A-102, radio callsign "Tricky Misfit", at Tien Phuoc Special Forces Camp.

Immediately following this, another heavy burst of enemy fire swept the lead element of the assaulting CIDG company, seriously wounding one of the Vietnamese troops.

Following this assault, the patrol collected a large number of enemy documents and maps, foretelling the Tet Offensive attack on Tam Key.

Stahl was assigned as the Intelligence Sergeant at Mobile Launch Team 2 (MLT-2) at Quang Tri until February 1970, when he was reassigned to the CCN TOC (Tactical Operations Center) at Marble Mountain.

Throughout his first tour, Stahl had many occasions to work with Air America aircraft to fulfill various duties while assigned to "C" Company in Da Nang.

During the period of time Stahl was working as the C-Team's CA (Civil Affairs) NCO, Thuong Duc Camp once again came under siege by the enemy.

Using topographical maps and his training and experience as a Parachute Rigger, Stahl orchestrated the only known combat freefall supply drop.

From an Air America DHC-4 Caribou Stahl air dropped five one-thousand pound pallets of rice to the besieged camp.Manatee Jr. College May 73 with AA, Magna Cum Laude University of Southern Colorado Dec 80 with Special Distinction with a BS in Behavioral Science.