See Korean War memorial at Veterans Day ceremony; Black Rock veteran to be honored at Nov. 11 event

Written by Brad Durrell
Thursday, 05 November 2009 17:00

A new Korean War memorial will be unveiled during this year’s Bridgeport Veterans Day ceremony on Wednesday, Nov. 11 at 11 a.m. at McLevy Green.

The memorial will join monuments that already honor veterans or war dead from World I, World War II and the Vietnam War on the Broad Street side of McLevy Green.

That part of the green is being redesigned with memorial bricks, many inscribed with the names of local men who fought in World War II.

Like the World War II memorial, dedicated in June, the Korean War memorial has been designed by architect Theodore L. Grabarz, city public facilities assistant director and a member of the U.S. Navy Reserves. Grabarz has served in the Iraq War.

The Korean War monument includes the names of 29 Bridgeport residents who died in the conflict from 1950 to 1953.

The Veterans Day ceremony is traditionally held on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, in remembrance of the signing of the Armistice that ended World War I on Nov. 11, 1918.

The ceremony will honor World War II veteran Walter W. Stachacz of Black Rock, who will receive the 27th annual Stephen Koteles Memorial Award.

The McLevy Green ceremony will be preceded by a parade that begins at 10:30 a.m. in front of the Cardinal Shehan Center. Participants will march south on Main Street and west on State Street to Broad Street.

The ceremony will include the singing of the National Anthem, opening and closing prayers, remarks by local officials, a main speaker, the playing of Taps and laying of memorial wreaths to honor veterans, and the award presentation.

The Veterans Day events are sponsored by the Greater Bridgeport Veterans Council, an umbrella organization for other veterans groups.

Veteran honored

Koteles Award honoree Stachacz served with 112th Calvary Cannon Combat Team in New Guinea, the Philippines and Japan from 1943 to 1946. He was part of the first landing party in Tatyama, Japan, following the signing of the surrender of Japan, ending the Pacific conflict.

“Every landing that I made, I prayed,” he said of his military service. “You’re sitting in that boat, and you’re just circling around. It was enough to scare anyone. And once you landed, and then you hear the noise, that’s when you really got scared.”

Stachacz said his belief in God got him through the war. “That faith of mine brought me back and forth,” he said. “I hit three beaches and never got a scratch. The good Lord was with me all the way.”

He was awarded the Good Conduct Medal, the Philippines Liberation Medal with two Bronze Stars, and the Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal with three Bronze Stars.

He worked at the Jenkins Valves Co. for many years, retiring in 1986. He and his wife, Sally, recently celebrated their 63rd wedding anniversary.

Stachacz has been active in the Catholic War Veterans, serving as commander of the Lt. Raymond J. Bower Post in Black Rock for 39 years.

He is known for his dedication to other Bower Post members, quietly assisting them with problems, and helped to start a scholarship for graduates of St. Ann School. He also organizes the placement of 4,000 flags at St. Michael’s Cemetery for Memorial Day.

“Walter is the heart and soul of the Bower Post,” fellow post members said. “He is the rock of our organization.”