The Krauza family of Murrysville has much to be thankful for this holiday season.
Their son, Michael Krauza, 28, is home until Jan. 4 during a break from his training with the U.S. Marine Corps.
While 28 is older than the average recruit, Krauza’s road to military service included a journey through minor-league baseball and a near-tragedy at home.
In high school, Krauza was cut twice from the baseball team — not for a lack of skill, but because Franklin Regional had a remarkably deep roster.
“I never really played a meaningful inning,” he said. “I went to Xavier University as a regular student, but I realized that I really missed baseball. I found a way to train hard and ended up transferring to St. Bonaventure University to play Division I baseball.”
Krauza also held a longstanding interest in the military, hoping to follow in the footsteps of his father, Bill, who joined the Navy as an aviator in 1969.
“Growing up, we knew a lot of people who were serving in Afghanistan and Iraq, and I always kind of looked at them differently,” Krauza said. “I love this country, it’s given me so much, and it felt a little selfish to benefit from this country without giving back.”
While the military was on his mind, baseball held his heart.
After earning a master’s degree, Krauza began the process of enlisting in the Marines. Then, out of the blue, he received a call from a Major League Baseball farm team in Texas.
Krauza delayed his enlistment to pursue his dream, playing for several teams and briefly signing with the New York Mets. The team released him in 2023.
“I played a little bit of independent professional baseball in 2024 in Texas and Winnipeg, and then it was done,” Krauza said. “I’d nearly signed the dotted line for the Marine Corps in 2021, and now I was looking at coming back at 28 years old. But I’d given my word that I’d come back.”
Before he could enlist, his father suffered two strokes. Krauza delayed his service again to help his family.
“His mother needed his help, and they turned their downstairs into a bedroom and bathroom for his father,” said neighbor Patty Kennedy-Zafred. “Mike was there helping and supporting her, taking care of the house as she worked full-time and encouraging his dad to keep trying.”
Krauza took a job in Monroeville promoting sports events. Once the situation at home stabilized, he returned to the recruiter.
“I’d given the Marines my word that I’d come back, and I’m sure the recruiters were thinking, ‘Yeah, we’ve heard that before,’” he said with a laugh.
On Sept. 7, Krauza headed to officer candidate school in Quantico, Va., graduating in mid-November.
“I wanted to make my dad proud,” he said. “The Marine Corps is a young branch, and the maximum age for a commission is 28 years old. Most kids join straight out of college, and I was one of the oldest in my platoon.”
After officer candidate school, Krauza began six months of training to become a provisional rifle platoon commander.
“It’s a really cool time,” he said. “You get to learn a whole bunch of different weapons systems and how to deploy them. You get to wear millions of dollars in equipment and learn how to be a Marine.”
Krauza returns to training in early January. Over the holidays, he is assisting local Marine Corps recruiters and encouraging high school seniors to consider the military as an option after graduation.
His parents said they are incredibly proud of his persistence.
“Having been through officer training with the Navy — which in our case was run by the Marines at the time — it was very intense,” Bill Krauza said. “I know what he’s gone through, and it’s no walk in the park. The object of that training is to eliminate the people who aren’t truly motivated. I couldn’t be more proud to see him come through it.”