News-Info-Alerts

Re: POW-MIA Vigil Raises Awareness

From: POW-MIA InterNetwork

Date: August 14, 2003

"POW/MIA vigil raises awareness
By Jennifer Grogan, Citizen Reporter

Dressed in black, blindfolded and shackled, each prisoner took a turn sitting in the bamboo cage.

Each one represented a prisoner of war or a soldier still missing in action. Every hour, a prisoner was released and another prisoner was put into the cage as part of the annual American Legion Post #68 Prisoners Of War/Missing In Action vigil.

"There are still prisoners of war out there, whether they are still alive or their remains are overseas," Diane Zanelli, president of the American Legion Post #68 Women's Auxiliary, said. "By making the public aware, we hope to make the government step up its actions to find these missing soldiers. They need to be brought home and buried in the country they fought for. That way, their families can have closure."

The sixth annual POW/MIA vigil was held on Aug. 9, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the American Legion building.

The Connecticut Rolling Flags Inc. color guard began the ceremony by bringing the flags and the POW/MIA marathon runners to the legion building. The marathon runners run from one vigil to the next across the state. The eight runners ran 28.6 miles from Waterbury to Berlin and on Friday they will run from Berlin to West Haven.

The first prisoner to enter the cage was Alfons "Whitey" Szerszen, a former POW from World War II. Szerszen, who currently lives in Trumbull, served as a machine gunner in the army from 1940-1945. Rather than wear black pajamas like the other prisoners at the vigil, Szerszen dressed in the khaki-colored outfit he was captured in and wore until he was liberated.

"I was captured by the Germans in North Africa and held for 877 days," he said. "It was lousy. The conditions were very bad and they didn't feed us enough. We were on a starvation diet. In WWII though, they didn't keep you in a cage. They kept you in POW camps. There were thousands of us there."

After he was captured in North Africa, the Germans brought Szerszen and the other prisoners to Europe.

"We went to Italy, then to Germany and all over Germany," Szerszen said. "At the end of the war, they sent us to Poland. We called it the black hunger march. We marched all over Poland until the Russians broke through the lines and liberated us. Then, we had to make our way back to American lines."

Szerszen participated in all six town POW/MIA vigils and more than 50 vigils across the country.

"I got involved and stayed with it," he said. "I'm just happy to be back in America, the land of the free and the home of the brave."

When prisoners were released from the cage, during Saturday's vigil, there was a ceremony and they were given a pin and ribbon with the name of a missing Connecticut serviceman and date last seen.

"When people see this and take the time to think about it, they're amazed that there are servicemen out there who have not been found," Zanelli said. "That's why we have people at the vigil to answer questions and a book on all the missing servicemen from Connecticut."

Sandra Brown, a New Britain resident and former American Legion Auxiliary first district president, asked the American Legion in Berlin to start having POW/MIA vigils. She has helped members organize the event ever since.

"My husband George and I worked to start these vigils," she said. "He has since passed away but our main objective was to keep the country aware of the fact that there are many servicemen unaccounted for. I cannot go to bed comfortably at night knowing that these servicemen gave up their freedom and we didn't go back to get them. Some were just out of high school. I find that very hard to live with."

There were closing ceremonies at the end of the day.

"It's very touching," Brown said. "When they do a roll call of those who are still missing from Connecticut, it brings tears to our eyes."

Hank Pustelnik, a Vietnam veteran, said he went to the vigil to honor all the veterans.

"It's terrible when the veterans return and they don't get the recognition they deserve," he said. "It amazes me how all our politicians, from the president down, credit the military for serving but when they return, the benefits just aren't there. They have fought for our freedom and that should not be forgotten.""