Pfc. Czerwonka will be buried in Washington, D.C.
By Jonathan Bloom/ Correspondent
Marine Pfc. Paul S. Czerwonka, a Stoughton resident who was listed as missing in action in Vietnam for 37 years, will finally receive the honors owed to him when he is laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery on Oct. 7.
News that Czerwonka's remains had been positively identified and were being returned to the United States for burial was delivered to the family and then to the public on Aug. 10.
"This brings up old thoughts and feels like we're going through this all over again," said the late marine's brother Dean Czerwonka upon learning the news. "I'm proud of this country that they still looking for our soldiers who are missing over there."
Despite being listed as "missing," Czerwonka remained on the minds of those who knew him locally and among veterans. In past years, the town honored his memory through a memorial square dedication and named a street after him a move reserved for those killed in action during service in the United States armed forces.
Ê"He's a hero in my eyes," said Selectmen Chairman John Kowalczyk last month during a tribute to Czerwonka at the opening of a meeting of the board. "On behalf of myself, the board, and the residents of Stoughton, I would just like to say to Paul, 'Welcome home.'"
Stoughton Veterans' Agent Michael Pazyra said Czerwonka always held a special place during ceremonies recalling Stoughton residents who had made the ultimate sacrifice in battle.
"We have a tradition in this town on Memorial Day," said Pazyra. "At stops on the parade route we read a portion of the roll honoring those who died in the wars fought by this country. Every year, when a soldier's name is read, the usual response has been 'Absent, sir!' for everyone except for Paul Czerwonka. In response to his name the response has always been 'Missing, sir!'
Pazyra said it will be small solace to friends and family of the fallen marine who died one week after his 19th birthday, when the reply to his name is, for the first time given as "Absent, sir!" come next Memorial Day.
Czerwonka was last seen on May 10, 1968, following the attack on Ngok Tavak by the North Vietnamese. A member of Marine Corps Battery D, he and 11 other members of his group were attempting to find a missing medic when they were struck by enemy grenades and arms fire. None of the marines could be located following the attack.
It would be more than two years before American troops returned to the approximate location where Czerwonka and his team had been attacked. By then, weather and bombardments had made it difficult to determine what had taken place there, although accounts from those close to that action believed with great certainty that nobody had survived that attack.
Locally, veterans are planning to send a contingent to Arlington for the burial services on Oct. 7. A bus has been reserved for 50 people who wish to go at an approximate cost of $50 per person.
Anybody interested must contact former Stoughton Veterans' Agent Paul Flynn at 781-344Ü109 or 781-858-0174 to reserve a spot and make arrangements to get the money to him. Because of the short notice of the internment, today (Sept. 23) is the final day to make reservations and turn in the money.
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