He lost his life at the young age of nineteen. A soldier, a son, and a beloved member of the middle class New York City suburb of Wilton, CT. Private First Class Nicholas Madaras was on foot patrol with his 4th Infantry Division unit during a combat operation in Baqouba, Iraq when, according to the Department of Defense, a roadside bomb exploded, fatally wounding the young man on Sept. 3, 2006.
Nick Madaras, left, with his sister, Marie, and brother Chris, shortly before he left to serve in Iraq.
Although his life was tragically cut short, Madaras and his spirit live on in the community through a program created in his honor, Kick for Nick.
“The Kick for Nick program has gone nationwide and has collected more than 10,000 soccer balls for Iraqi children and other children in war-torn nations,” said Liza Rodiger ‘13. “The program was actually Nick’s idea, so it’s a perfect memorial.”
Since he was young, Madaras was heavily involved in soccer. Madaras coached youth teams too and according to his mother, Shalini Madaras, the kids absolutely loved him.
“Like all the boys he coached, my brother idolized Nick. One season when Nick coached [my brother Charlie’s] team, he gave signed mini soccer balls to the boys,” Rodiger remembers. “That ball remains one of my brother’s most treasured possessions.”
Upon graduating high school, he did not feel prepared to attend college just yet. Without his parents’ knowledge, Madaras enlisted in the Army, filled with patriotism and drive.
“Nothing you can do. He made the commitment. You just hope that he did not make a mistake and it was the right thing for him to do,” said his father, Bill Madaras, in a television interview.
Within a short time, Madaras was in the dry landscape of Iraq in combat mode. Despite his situation, he found a connection between his life and the youth of Iraq: both shared an intense love for soccer. Madaras mentioned the amazing skills of these young boys to his father and asked him to ship old balls to Iraq to encourage the game.
According to Rodiger, “He was home on leave in July, just two months before he was killed and talked about bringing back soccer balls to the Iraqi kids.”
The joy was short-lived as Madaras was asked to return. The second goodbye was much tougher than the first. Shalini Madaras told her husband that Madaras had a look in his eye, a look that told them all he did not plan on coming home. On Sept. 3, 2006, PFC Nicholas Madaras died in combat.
Rodiger ‘13, whose family has known the Madaras family for some 20 years, remembers the funeral: “Our whole town was devastated. We all attended the services for Nick. His wake and motorcycle-escorted military funeral were the first my 10-year old brother ever attended.”
The grieving family, however, was about to witness the magic that Madaras left behind.
With the help of a local veteran, the Kick for Nick program started, collecting soccer balls with Madaras’ name written across the patches and sending them to Iraq.
“Even though people have collected soccer balls in 45 of our 50 states, Wilton runs periodic collections,” Rodiger commented. “To my knowledge, my family has never missed a chance to contribute. Our town is so proud of Nick and his contributions.”
This plaque sits at the soccer field dedicated to Madaras’ memory in Wilton, CT.
The town now has a field dedicated to the memory and principles of Nicholas Madaras, where children both in America and in Iraq remember his name.
Gordon Brown ‘12, a member of the ROTC, mentions Madaras as his inspiration for joining the program today.
“I didn’t know him personally but I was friends with his sister,” said Brown. “It’s nice to see that when I drive past our local grocery store, there’s this big bin that says ‘Kicks for Nick’ so that people can drop their donations in.”
Madaras clearly lives on in two separate worlds united by a single love for a game.
ESPN did a mini-documentary on this program and Madaras’ legacy. The video ends asking for donations. Here we do the same. Donate soccer balls with PFC Nick Madaras’ name written on them to the Kick for Nick Program and keep his memory alive.
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