Clark Veterans Share Their Stories

With every name of a fallen Clark veteran, an American Flag was placed in their honor. By the end of the Memorial Day Service at the Clark American Legion Post 328 yesterday, the flag pole was decorated and veterans remembered the ultimate sacrifices that their fellow servicemen have made to protect this country. In the spirit of remembrance, here are the stories of four Clark veterans.

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Stanley Grysko, 92, was sitting by his wife Alice’s side, like he has done for the past 70 years. They’ve gone through anniversaries and birthdays together, holidays and vacations, births and deaths. There was only one New Year’s Eve when Stanley left Alice alone. He was sent to France to serve the United States in World War II.

Stanley was drafted into the United States Third Army because he was under 26 years old when World War II began. He had no choice but to join the army. It didn’t matter that he had a wife at home. It didn’t matter that he had a two-year old son to take care of.

For a year (either 1944 or 1945 – he’s not quite sure which one), he left his wife alone to care for his family. “I would watch television every night to see what was happening. I would cry myself to sleep every night,” Alice said.

In return, he was caring for his country.  Stanley fought in the Battle of the Bulge in Belgium against the German offensive, dubbed the most violent and bloody battles of World War II.

The details are hazy for Stanley – he doesn’t remember the specifics of the battle, or much about his time serving overseas. At 92, “his mind isn’t as sharp as it used to be,” Alice said.

But the details aren’t that important anymore. He still has his wife next to him. He still remembers what sacrifices he made by serving in the Army. The realities of war are still vivid to him, especially on Memorial Day. “It means that we fought for our freedom,” Stanley said. “Through the Nazis and the Russians, Pearl Harbor. It means we kept going on.”

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John Hanson, 87, knows he’s part of a dying breed. Hanson survived Pearl Harbor – a feat within itself. But as the survivors are getting older, “we’re dying a lot and the younger generations don’t seem to have an interest in the history," said Hanson. "Once we lose concept of this country and who we are, that’s it. There’s nothing left."

Hanson was stationed across from Battleship Row in Hawaii when a torpedo from the Japanese hit and capsized the USS Helena. Hanson was sent on a small boat to pick up bodies that were floating in the Pacific Ocean. Finding survivors was the main goal, though it was easier said than done, he said.

Hanson was 17 years old and seeing images way beyond his years. “I was scared to death,” he said. Hanson had to pull scarred bodies out of the water. Skin would be peeling off. Sometimes, he had to drag the bodies through the water because he couldn’t pick the body up without it disintegrating and falling back in the sea.

The scariest thing for Hanson was when he got the bodies onto the dock. He heard air leaving the bodies, making him believe that the person might still be alive. He would run over to them to try and help, just to realize it was just gasses leaving the corpses. The disappointment mounted. His hopes were raised and dropped all within seconds.

Hanson admits he was young when he went through Pearl Harbor. But now, he is depending on the youth to continue spreading information about the past to use in the future. “When I come to a Memorial Day celebration and look around, there are not many young people here," Hanson said. "Why they aren’t here, I don’t understand.”

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Butch Switek, 63, is comfortable at 75 Westfield Ave. in Clark – the location of the Clark American Legion. He became a member of the Legion in 1968.  “It’s the place to hang out,” he said. Switek sat at the end of the bar in the basement with three of his buddies. They’ve all grown up in Clark, but after joining the service, they all had a new reason to hang out. “We’re all veterans, we were all in the service and we all did the same things. We all put our time in.”

The Legion reminded him of home while he was serving as a sergeant in the United States Army during the Vietnam War. In 1968, they sent him his membership card during his active duty. After returning home, the Legion welcomed him back, and became the camaraderie he wanted. The Legion remembered his birthday, which “was just another day in Vietnam. Memorial Day is just another day in Vietnam.”

In Vietnam, Switek was in charge for a platoon of nine tanks and 36 men. “We all saw a lot of combat,” he said.  He spent his days in the jungle. It was hot and muggy, with 90 percent humidity, he said. Fourteen hours of the day were spent in the tanks while nights were on foot patrol. Anytime he was engaged in a firefight, he was nervous that they would run out of ammunition, so helicopters would drop off ammo during firefights and a solider would have to run out of the tank to pick it up. He was in Vietnam from August to August before he came back home to Clark.

Switek believes that Clark does a nice job of celebrating Memorial Day. “It shows what the holiday is all about. The holiday is really about instead of going up to your shore house, but remembering those who served your country.”

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Eric Peters was sleeping when he heard a whistling sound around his tent. He immediately got up, got on his body armor and took his position in Jalalabad, Afghanistan.  He was trained to react immediately, and protect the civilians and fellow soldiers.

But it was a month before he returned home that he knew it “was getting real,” he said. It was a month before he returned home. He was in a Humvee and fire was shot, so he had to keep his patrol to make sure that no one moved from the area.

Take the situation and slow it down, he said. “You can see how we all work together.” Two soldiers got the radio together, while Peters got the passengers back. Everyone thought on his or her feet and worked together to secure the area and ensure that everyone was safe.

To Peters, this showed the spirit of Memorial Day. While in combat, veterans did their best to protect the country, he said.

Peters is returning to For Campbell in Kentucky on June 11. After, he will be sent to Afghanistan for another tour of service, though he is not sure when he will be sent. But for his short stop home, he was surrounded by veterans who can relate to his service. “It feels good for them to respect me as I respect them even more every Memorial Day,” he said.