North Olean WWII Heroes

North Olean History - HOMER HILL WORLD WAR II HEROES
Photo of Ed Carapellatti - 1922-1990
Ed worked with with his father, August Carapellatti, at the A. C. Beverage Co. before entering the U. S Army on Oct. 13, 1942. He went overseas in June of 1943. During his service in Italy he was able to visit his grandfather, Giovanni Carapellatti in the hills of 'Paglio'. He was a gifted accordion player. He brought his accordion and played at my wedding. Photo courtesy of Steve Balcerzak.

AS THE SERVICE MEN RETURNED TO OLEAN AFTER WORLD WAR II ENDED IN 1945, THE TERRY FAMILY FUR STORE GAVE TRIBUTE TO MANY OF THEM IN THE NEWSPAPER. THANKS TO BETTY DONNELLY BALCERZAK MULLEN, WHO GAVE THE FOLLOWING ARTICLES TO ME WHEN I FIRST STARTED RESEARCHING THE HISTORY OF NORTH OLEAN. BETTY PASSED AWAY IN 2002. I MISS YOU, MY FRIEND.

HERE’S WHO’S WHO IN OLEAN-WE’LL START WITH “PINKEY” PIECHOTA AND HIS DOG “COLBY”---
“PINKEY” IS BACK-BUT HIS DOG ISN’T. “PINKEY” IS JUST WAITING FOR THE DAY HE AND HIS BULL TERRIER, “COLBY,” ARE REUNITED. THAT WILL REALLY BE A BIG DAY FOR “PINKY,” FOR “COLBY” STILL IS “SOMEWHERE IN THE PACIFIC,” DOING HIS PART IN MAKING THIS A LASTING PEACE.
HERE ARE SOME MORE OF THE FIGHTING DEVILS FROM THE NORTH END WHO MADE HISTORY FROM GUADALCANAL TO OKINAWA AND NORTH AFRICA TO BERLIN: TERRY’S HALL OF FAME INCLUDES HEROES LIKE “MOOSE” KUKULKA, “SHADY” SZADLOWSKI, “HICK” KUZAK, “SHRIMP” STANEK, “MIKE” ELLMAN, “BEN” STANEK, “BIG JOHN” KUKULKA, “COON” SUDA, JOHN SUDA, “FIT” KUKULKA, STEVE SPLAWSKI, “KENTIE” PASTALENIEC, “JOHNNIE” PASTALENIEC, “MAJOR” CYGAN, “JOHNNIE” GIERMECK, “PUPPY” ZAWADA, “DUTTER” GIERMECK, “JOHNNIE” DOMBECK, LEO DOMBECK, “TOMMY” FARAGHER, “BLIMP” PIECHOTA, TONEY PIECHOTA, “MUSH” HARENDA AND “BIMBO” HARENDA. WE WANT TO THANK BOB DEMPSEY FOR SUPPLYING THESE NAMES.

THESE AREN’T JUST NAMES-THESE MEN ARE HEROES-EVERY ONE
“RED THE BARBER” HAD BEEN CUTTING HAIR FOR MANY YEARS IN THE NORTH END, AND SINCE THE WAR HAS BEEN WRITING TO HUNDREDS OF BOYS IN THE ARMY, NAVY AND MARINE CORPS. HE FINDS THAT MERE YOUNGSTERS, WHO ANSWERED THE CALL, ARE BACK NOW GETTING SHAVES. HE AND “BERNIE” SUDA HELPED THE TERRY FAMILY FUR STORE WITH NICKNAMES TODAY. “BERNIE” IS STILL IN THE ARMY, BUT HE IS HOME ON FURLOUGH. THE MEDWIDS, “STAN AND HELEN ARE BACK IN CIVILIAN CLOTHES AGAIN. HELEN WAS WITH THE WACS IN THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS. “FRANKIE” TRACZ, ANOTHER OLEAN BOY, WHO WAS A PRISONER OF THE NAZIS, IS OUT. “JOHNNIE” KOSINSKI HAS BEEN DISCHARGED, HE WAS WOUNDED IN AFRICA. “YOKEY” SUDA, THE MARINE WHO WAS WOUNDED ON IWO JIMA, IS BACK, AS IS “RAY” KUBIAK, ANOTHER MARINE WHO WAS WOUNDED ON SAIPAN. “MACK” MACHNICA, “PIGEON” KWIATKOWSKI, “PHIL” KWIATKOWSKI, AND LEO SROKA, ALL WHO WERE WOUNDED, HAVE BEEN DISCHARGED. THE NUMBER OF RETURNED SERVICEMEN GROWS LARGER EVERY DAY. SOME OF THEM ARE “TOMMIE” STERNAD, “MIKE” BROZIK, LEO SRODAWA, “GIANT” BUTINSKI, LEO SMUGORZEWSKI, “GASSY” PADLO, “FIT” KUKULKA, “TONY” ZBIKOWSKI, “JOE” GIERMEK, “LOUEY” WOJCIK, “TOMMIE” SLODOWSKI, “JOE” MAROWSKI, “JOE” ZDROJOWY, “BENNY” KUKULKA, “STEVE” WALLON, “PETE” FIROS, “JOHNNIE” CYGAN, “BENNY” PANUS, “JOE” MATER, “BUNKER” SNOPKOWSKI, “JOHNNIE” KAMINSKI, “MIKE” BLAZEJEWSKI, “JOHNNIE” JEDRZEJEWSKI, “RED” MICEK, “JOHNNIE” PETSKI, FRANCIS BATORZYNSKI, “DUKE” DUTIEWICZ, “WALT” SUCHORA, HENRY KUBIS, “HUCKELBERRY” FASICZKI, “MONK” SACZALA, “JOHNNIE” TETLAK, “JOHNNIE” KUBIS, “BENNIE” RUCINSKI, “JOE” JASKULSKI, JOHN BATORZYNSKI, FRANCIS DUTKIEWICZ, GEORGE MAZUR, JULIAN SULEWSKI, AND “BRONEK” PADLO.

"OLEAN HAS HAD ITS SHARE"
"MORE THAN ITS SHARE"
"OF PRISONERS OF WAR*"
"GOD BLESS THEM!"NOW THAT THEY ARE BACK IN TOWN, THEY SHOULD BE GIVEN EVERY “BREAK POSSIBLE—FOR THESE TRUE HEROES DESERVE IT.
TAKE”LEFTY” COTTONE AND “MORTY” MORRIS FOR INSTANCE. BOTH WERE CAPTURED BY THE NAZIS IN NORTH AFRICA AND WERE PRISONERS FOR 27 MONTHS. “LEFTY” WAS IN AN ANTI-AIRCRAFT UNIT AND “MORTY” WAS FREED BY THE RUSSIANS. THEY MET AGAIN IN ITALY. BOTH WENT TO GRAMMAR SCHOOL NO. 1 AND 10 AND OLEAN HIGH SCHOOL TOGETHER. DAVE BURGESS WAS A POW FOR 18 MONTHS. BRONISLAUS WALLON WAS CAPTURED BY THE JAPS IN THE PHILIPPINES EARLY IN THE WAR AND WAS IN THE “MARCH OF DEATH” ON BATAAN. THESE BOYS ALSO ARE BACK IN “CIVVIES.” WE TIP OUR CHAPEAU TO THEM. THE NAVY’S “KNOW-HOW” BOYS DID A DANDY JOB DURNING THE WAR. “SHIPWRECK” REILLY WAS ONE OF THEM. HE WAS IN THE SEABEES FOR 28 MONTHS, AND HE SPENT 22 MONTHS OVERSEAS, IN THE PHILIPPINES AND ON MIDWAY. HE WASN’T ANY “CHICKEN” WHEN HE WENT IN, FOR HE SPENT HIS 36TH BIRTHDAY WATCHING SAN FRANCISCO’S GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE FADE AWAY AS HE SAILED WESTWARD. IT REALLY LOOKED LIKE A GOLDEN GATE IN ’48 TO HIM THEN. TERRY’S THANKS FATHER JOHN GLAZIK OF THE CHURCH OF THE TRANSFIGURATION FOR SOME OF THESE NAMES. “ZOE” WOODGIE, THE BALL PLAYER, SUPPLIED US WITH THE NICKNAMES. THEY TOLD US ABOUT JOHN ZAWADA, “MIKE” KLOC, “SLICK” KENDZIOR, “MIKE” KASPER, “MADGE” BATORZYNSKI, “CHICAGO” CYGAN, “FRANK” KASPERSKI, JOHN BENCA, “WALT” KAMINSKI, “OZZIE” JONAK, “KUBA” FASICZKI, “HOONEY” BUTINSKI, “EDDIE” DZIADARZ, LEO CAL, STEVE BLAZEJEWSKI, “ANDY” BUDAJ, “EDDIE” BUDAJ, “BIG STEVE” WOODGIE THE BALL PLAYER, AND THE EVER PROPULAR “SENATOR”, JOHN KURZAK-A TOUGH LINE UP ON ANY FRONT.

“THE FIGHTING IRISH FROM THE “KNOB”HERE ARE JUST SOME OF THE HEROES WHO ARE OUT OF THE ARMED FORCES AND BACK IN HOMER HILL WHO RATE ON TERRY’S ROLL OF HONOR, AND WE WANT TO PAY SPECIAL TRIBUTE TO THE 11 SETS OF BROTHERS FROM THIS DISTRICT WHO SERVED WITH UNCLE SAM’S ARMIES AND FLEETS. SOME WERE PRISONERS OF WAR AND SOME WERE WOUNDED. THE KULA BOYS, “STAN” AND “FRANKIE,” DID THEIR PART. “FRANKIE WAS WOUNDED TWICE. “TED” KOLASINSKI WAS A PRISONER OF WAR. HIS BROTHERS, “SKI” AND “LOU” WERE IN THE SERVICE. “WALT” MORRIS IS ANOTHER BOY FROM HOMER HILL, WHO WAS CAPTURED BY THE NAZIS. HIS BROTHER, BILL, ALSO SERVED. “MIKE,” “JOE,” AND “STEVE” WASHINGTON ARE OUT OF UNIFORM. “SCHRIMP” STANAK WAS WOUNDED TWICE. HIS BROTHER, “BEN”, IS ALSO OUT. “BIMBO” AND ”DUKE” KASIDLO HAVE TRADED THEIR UNIFROMS FOR “CIVVIES,” AS HAVE “WALT” AND LEO BALCERZAK, JOHN AND “EDDIE” STIER AND “ANDY” AND JOHN ONDES. THE SAME GOES FOR THE THREE LYON BROTHERS, “BOB”, “LOREY,” AND “TOM.” THE DONNELLY BROTHERS, “FRANKIE” AND BILL, ARE OUT. “PATTY” BANDZERA, FIRST BOY FROM HOMER HILL TO BE WOUNDED, IS BACK IN TOWN. “EDDIE” CLARK, WHO WAS A PRISONER OF WAR, ALSO WAS WOUNDED. YES, IT’S BEGINNING TO LOOK LIKE OLD TIMES AROUND HOMER HILL WITH SO MANY BOYS BACK. THE GIRLS AND WIVES ARE SMILING AGAIN. TO SAY THAT THE MOTHERS ARE HAPPY WOULD BE PUTTING IT MILDLY. SOME MORE OF THE “HOMER HILL HEROES” ARE “RAY” MOONEY, “AL” BONI, “EDDIE” JERMY, “BOBBY” FREANEY, “JOE” JANKOWSKI, “PATTY” KUWIK, GEORGE BROZIC, EARL BOSER, “FRANKIE” PANCIO, VACH CHIAPUSO (WHO WAS WOUNDED), “BOOTS’ SHAVENS, “MIKE” JURENKO, “TONY” AND FRANK GIERMEK, “SONNY” KENYON, FRANK ELNYSKI, “LOU” WOODGIE, “SKINNY” WARD, “MIKE” GERGEL, “EDDIE” JADUSH, “ANDY” MARTIN, AND “DILL” GATTIGLIO. SOME MORE FIGHTING IRISH FROM THE “KNOB” ARE “STAN” KLIMCZYK, SYLVESTER JADLOWSKI, “JOE” OZAGAR, JOHN BUSH, “ART” BAXTER, “BOB” MALONE (WHO WAS WOUNDED), EMIL JUREWICZ, “SHOWERS” PLEWNIARZ, “JACK” HARRINGTON, TOM SHAW, LEON YUSKO, BILL ADSIT, JOHN LUCUS, “SHINE” LANG, BERYLE LEWIS, FRANK KOSINSKI, “MIKE” KOSIOL, AND GEORGE KARPEN, “JACK” GAUL, WHO KNOWS ALL THESE BOYS, SAYS THEY LOOK LIKE A BUNCH OF KNUTE ROCKNE BACKFIELDS ROLLEN INTO ONE. “JACK” INCIDENTALLY, SUPPLIED ALL THE NAMES.

This page has been visited

times.