Nation salutes fallen DuPage Marine
If anything happened to him while he was fighting a war for a foreign country, U.S. Marine Dawid Pietrek wrote to his mother back home in Poland, remember that this was his choice.
"And it was a good one," he penned, "because we're helping people here and fighting terrorists."
His mother, Dorota, kept those words close to her heart Tuesday as she solemnly accepted the flag of the nation her son died defending.
The 24-year-old Polish immigrant with DuPage County ties was laid to rest amid military honors in a Roman Catholic ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. Pietrek was killed June 14 with three other Marines when their Humvee was blown up by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan. He died instantly.
Though the families of his fallen comrades buried their loved ones closer to their hometowns, Dorota Pietrek chose to have her only son laid to rest in the U.S. among other American heroes. More than a half dozen other family members, including his sister, Emilia, 15, fiancee, grandmother, aunt and uncle also journeyed from Police, Poland and Iceland to say goodbye.
The morning light shone through stained glass windows at Memorial Chapel at Fort Myers for Pietrek's funeral Mass. His closed casket, draped with an American flag, lay on a wheeled cart at the front of the altar during the emotional ceremony punctuated with a grieving family's tears and its stoic acceptance.
Six uniformed Marines carried Pietrek's casket outside, and the procession made its way to the nearby cemetery. An awaiting Patriot Guard of veterans saluted as the hearse carrying Pietrek's body passed. A crowd of more than 50 people that included members of the American Polish Consulate, Polish Embassy and several U.S. Marines gathered.
At the gravesite, a bugler played taps and the three-volley rifle salute rang out. Afterward, Dorota Pietrek was presented with the empty shell casings and a folded American flag.
She was told: "On behalf of the president of the United States and a grateful nation, please accept this flag as a token of the honorable and faithful service of your loved one."
Afterward, members of Pietrek's family kneeled near his coffin, clung to each other and wept. Dorota Pietrek hugged some of the Marines in attendance.
U.S. Marine Sgt. Dmitry Novak assisted the family with its travel and helped plan the funeral. He described the unforgettable service.
"For someone whose son died for another country, you might expect a lot of hostility," he said, "but she had zero anger. She fully understood that this was his choice and what he wanted to do. She told the other Marines, 'You are my sons, too.'"
He added: "They are very proud of him. His mother said when he made up his mind to join the Marines, he told her it was because they're the strongest and the best. She said she wasn't surprised, because that was how her son was."
Dawid Pietrek came to the U.S. when he was about 21 with dreams of graduating from college and becoming a police officer. A trained medical caregiver, he lived with three different families - including two in Elmhurst - while helping their elderly relatives. They described him as caring and respectful.
He enlisted June 4, 2007, while renting an apartment in Bensenville, with the hope of expediting his citizenship. Pietrek was one of an estimated 35,000 foreign nationals deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq, the Pentagon reports. In his undated letter to his family, which his mother shared with the Daily Herald, Dawid Pietrek spoke of desire to serve others.
"The Taliban are terrorists who demand food, weapons and more from the people, in short, they're taking away their entire livelihood," he wrote. "We're defending the people and we're helping them. We're protecting the schools. We also provide medical assistance."
He added: "I love you a lot. You're what's most important to me. If something happens to me, remember that this was my choice ... Nothing will happen to me because I'm being careful."