As we barrel through our lives and midwestern supercell mesocyclone storms towards the Memorial Day weekend, a post kind of wrote itself in email last night - one appropriate to the coming holiday.
As I'm running through an email stream revolving around Castle Denizen Bloodspite, who lives about 20 milies southeast of Joplin, Missouri, this popped into my email box. Denizen Toluca Nole was feeling like he should have known something, anything, about a recently deceased Marine veteran of World War II:
I read an obit in the LA Times last week for a George M. Hatzidakis -- a Marine who was in the battles of Guadalcanal and Peleliu. When I see those keywords, I truly take notice. Anyway, I tried to do a (Google) search on the guy, but stopped. I didn't expect to find TONS of stuff, but I didn't expect to see almost nothing either. End of...well, it wasn't really a rant, was it?
No, it wasn't. I thought about it for a moment, then I replied:
In truth, there were tens of thousands of guys who fought in one or both places, and most of the ones who survived came home, got jobs, got married, raised families.
In a sense, "Battle Cry," by Leon Uris, and "Helmet for my Pillow," by Robert Leckie, and "With the Old Breed, " by EB Sledge are their monuments - that and their grandkids, and great-grandkids, etc, no?
But you brought him to my attention, so we'll bring him to some others.
And there will be one more entry in that Google search.
'K?
So, lets do our bit to help one more veteran of World War Two get a slightly wider number of people noting his passage:
George M Hatzidakis, PFC, USMCR (1919-2011)
Loving husband, father and grandfather, passed away Monday, May 16th, 2011. He is survived by his beloved wife Virginia and daughters Paula Wirtz and Penelope York. He was preceded in death by his youngest daughter Demetra who died at the age of 13 in 1978. George had two beloved grandchildren Madeline and Nicholas Wirtz.
He proudly served his country as a U.S. Marine in the battles of Guadalcanal and Peleliu in WWII. After his discharge George remained very active with the 1st Division retired Marines. He went on to college, first at Nichols College in Dudley, Massachusetts where he received his A/A Degree, and on to N.Y.U. to complete his Bachelor of Arts Degree. In 1957 George and Virginia were married in Marlboro, MA where they began their family, later moving on to N. Carolina, then W. Virginia and in 1968 they settled in Canoga Park, CA. George often said "I wish we had moved here 20 years earlier." Always a man with a happy smile and a story, he will be sorely missed by his family and many friends.
Now is the time at Castle Argghhh! when we dance:
In Memoriam of Private First Class George M Hatizidakis, USMCR, a veteran of World War II in the Pacific. He's already met up with friends and family. We can't honor them all individually, so through the proxy of PFC Hatzidakis, we'll honor the passing of the veterans of the 1st Marine Division like this.
Semper Fi, Devil Dog.
Read the complete post at http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2011/05/someone_perhaps.html
Posted
May 26 2011, 05:34 AM
by
Argghhh! The Home Of Two Of Jonah's Military Guys..