By Judy Santamaria, MSPH, Greenwich Woods
John Wiercioch was honored on Saturday at the 12th annual ‘Hooks for Heroes’ fishing tournament honoring military and first responders at Greenwich Woods Rehabilitation & Health Center in Greenwich, where he resides.
The event is held each year for injured veterans and to benefit Disabled American Veterans’ Stamford Chapter 13’s “Operation Gift Cards” program.
US Senator Richard Blumenthal, his son State Representative Matt Blumenthal and Stamford Mayor Caroline Simmons attended the event.
Senator Blumenthal awarded Mr. Wiercioch a citation from the State of Connecticut as well as the National Defense Service Medal, which is awarded to members of the U.S. Armed Forces who served during any one of four specified periods of armed conflict from June 1950 through December 2022.
Mr. Wiercioch was drafted into the Polish Army in 1942 at the age of 16 during the war against Germany. He was captured in October of that year and spent two and a half years as a prisoner of war in Germany assigned to hard labor on the railroad.
The U.S. Army liberated the camp in April 1945 and John remained in Germany, helping the U.S. troops.
In 1949 Mr. Wiercioch moved to the United States and a year later served in the Korean War as a demolition man and sharpshooter. He was in the U.S. Airforce from 1953 until 1958, and after being honorably discharged worked at Electrolux in Stamford until his retirement in 1989.
Pat Buzzeo, President of Hooks for Heroes, first met Mr. Wierchoch at Greenwich Woods Rehabilitation & Health Center.
“The stories he told about his time in the war were captivating and I knew then that he deserved to be honored at our annual event,” Buzzeo said. “One of the most touching moments of the day was when John remembered a wartime moment. He said ‘I was in a foxhole trying to avoid fire. I looked to my right and I looked to my left and the soldiers I saw there were my brothers. And all of you here today are my brothers as well.’ That was the highlight of my day.”
Mr. Buzzeo continued, “Hooks for Heroes will continue to support all of our military men and women, especially those recovering from injuries at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Washington, DC, and Fort Belvoir Community Hospital in Virginia.”
Christine, who accompanied Mr. Wiercioch from Greenwich Woods, said, “This event was very special because Mr. Wiercioch was honored in such a public way for his military service. All of us in attendance were emotional because we recognize the sacrifice Mr. Wiercioch made for our great nation, and at 97 years old, is one of the few people who can still tell us stories from that war.”
Greenwich Woods is an independent nursing home in Greenwich. For more information or to schedule a facility tour, please contact, Yaakov Kramer, Administrator at 203-531-1335 or visit www.greenwichwoods.com.