Lake Zurich veteran receives Purple Heart 64 years later
Memorial Day took on special meaning this year for one Lake Zurich veteran and his family.
Some 64 years after he was wounded on the island of Guam during combat against Japanese forces in World War II, Stanley Skladzien finally received his Purple Heart award.
During Memorial Day observances mounted by American Legion Post 964 in Lake Zurich, the 88-year old Skladzien received his decoration.
The combat award is given to members of the armed services who are wounded by the enemy, during wartime combat.
Though Skladzien now suffers from Alzheimer's disease, he still remembers his years in the Marines and getting wounded on Guam.
When he realized his medal finally had come, he said simply: "Well, it's about time."
Skladzien was 20 years old when he enlisted in the Marines following the attack on Pearl Harbor. He served in the Pacific theater, on Guadalcanal Island and during the initial invasion of Guam.
Military service runs in his family. His father had fought in France while serving in the Army during World War I. His grandson, Jeff, a 2002 St. Viator High School graduate, is a Navy Seal.
According to his discharge papers, Skladzien was recommended to receive the combat award, but it never came. Family members assume that with the Allies at war in the Pacific and in Europe, following up with discharged soldiers was not their priority during those years.
In the meantime, Skladzien returned to Chicago and completed his bachelor's and master's degrees in chemistry on the G.I. Bill before carving out a career at Argonne National Laboratory.
He married and raised two sons in Elmhurst, then moved to Kildeer in 1989.
His Purple Heart award came in the mail, family members say, rather unexpectedly after they pursued getting copies of his service records from the Navy.
"We had talked about it before, but he never wanted to pursue it," says Skladzien's son, Greg, a surgeon and professor at Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University in North Chicago.
However, after his father move to an assisted living facility in Lake Zurich a year ago with his memory fading, they figured they would pursue getting copies of any honors he may have received.
The medal came with a letter from Navy Personnel Command Center in St. Louis, explaining that after an official review of his records, Skladzien had indeed earned the Purple Heart.
"I am grateful for your honorable and brave service," wrote D.M. Martin, records analysis supervisor at the direction of the Naval Commander, "and hope you will accept this medal as a symbol of the appreciation we have for your sacrifices during our nation's time of need."