Ukrainian American vets say brotherhood brings recognition and healing (06/06/04)

Ukrainian American vets say brotherhood brings recognition and healing

by Andrew Nynka

PARSIPPANY, N.J. - Though many of Jerry Schmotolocha's memories from Vietnam have faded, there are a number that still linger. There is one, in particular, that has stayed with him, as vivid and clear as the day it happened, nearly 40 years ago.

A radio operator with a United States Army reconnaissance unit, Mr. Schmotolocha described the scene in an article he wrote for the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) organization: "We were right in front of a bunker complex where we saw one of our radio operators who was killed and a few others who were wounded. At that moment, all hell broke loose. There was fighting from one end to the other end of the platoon at close range. My friend Woody Woodward was shot right through the chest and the bullet came out on the other side of his radio."

At that moment Gary Massey, who received a Silver Star for heroism for his actions at the battle, began heaving grenades at the enemy and watched as Mr. Woodward fell, Mr. Schmotolocha said.

"[Massey] went up to [Woodward] and took his grenades and went after the North Vietnamese in the bunkers. After he threw his grenades he himself was shot in the elbow. Gary was retreating into my direction with his elbow shot off," said Mr. Schmotolocha, who then wrapped his friend's badly damaged arm.

The two would not see each other again until a reunion in Fort Hood, Texas, in 1994 brought them together. It was the first year Mr. Schmotolocha attended a reunion of his old U.S. Army outfit, the 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry. "I've spent time concentrating more on my family," he said, but since then he has become more active in a number of veterans organizations, including a UAV post in Freehold, N.J., named in honor of Maj. Myron Diduryk.

Though he still spends time with his family, certain memories from combat remain. Like a number of other veterans who spoke with The Weekly, Mr. Schmotolocha has had to find ways to cope with the aftereffects of war. Many veterans have said they would rather not speak with family members about their wartime memories, but would prefer instead to speak with people who also went through combat.

Mr. Schmotolocha is not alone in holding on to such memories, and he says his activity in veterans' organizations "helps to heal." In 1948, Ukrainian American veterans of the second world war organized the first national convention of the Ukrainian American Veterans organization.

Since that time the organization has grown and now has some 700 members, according to National Commander Mathew Koziak, himself a veteran of Vietnam who served there as a sergeant with the U.S. Army.

Being a part of the Ukrainian American Veterans organization means he is with a group of people who, "having served our country, having done our duty, have a sense of pride that we've done something - that we have accomplished something," Mr. Koziak said.

John Midzak, who served in Lebanon and the Indian Ocean with the U.S. Navy, also said that fellow Ukrainian veterans have helped him cope. Asked about the need for a Ukrainian veterans organization, Mr. Midzak replied: "Why not have a Ukrainian American Veterans organization? It's good to belong."

Much of what that organization does revolves around the idea of camaraderie and brotherhood - a shared sense that, no matter which war a veteran went through, combat leaves an indelible scar on people - and it is only in that tight circle that many veterans say they can begin to find a way to heal from their wartime memories.

The Ukrainian American Veterans organization, for its part, has sought to give its members the belief that what they struggled for was worthwhile and deserves recognition.

But making progress on that front has often been difficult, the national commander said. He worries that Ukrainian American veterans are becoming a "forgotten heritage who served in the U.S. armed forces."

"For the most part," said Mr. Koziak, whose uncle died while serving with the Ukrainian Insurgent Army in Europe, "our own Ukrainian community was not aware of us." Indeed, many Ukrainian Americans may be unaware of just how many Ukrainians have fought for the United States.

Data from the 2000 U.S. Census showed that there are over 90,000 Ukrainian American veterans in the United States, according to Dr. Oleh Wolowyna, who is president of Informed Decisions Inc. and a demographer who has studied the Census in depth.

Mr. Koziak and the UAV have worked on a number of projects to recognize fellow veterans. Foremost among them is a resolution that was introduced in the United States House of Representatives last year. If the measure were to pass the House, it would grant the UAV a national charter and would recognize the group on par with other prominent veterans' organizations, such as the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

"You'll find that many Ukrainian American veterans are proud to have served this country and proud to have served together," said Peter Polnyj, a Vietnam veteran who served with the Marine Corps. "[The U.S. Congress] won't even listen to us," but a federal charter "would be a great boon to the organization," he said.

The bill, called the Ukrainian American Veterans Charter Act, has been stalled in Congress for over a year now. Many Ukrainian veterans expressed concern over why the resolution, H.R. 1615, apparently has been put on a backburner.

The Immigration, Border Security and Claims Subcommittee, chaired by Rep. John N. Hostettler (R-Ind.), has held on to the resolution since it was first introduced there on May 5, 2003. Repeated attempts to contact Rep. Hostettler over the course of a week for his comment on the issue have been unsuccessful.

Mr. Koziak said the resolution, which has 28 co-sponsors, would give the organization recognition during national commemorations. He said the UAV marched at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., last year, but again was left out of portions of the observance.

In Washington this past Memorial Day, members of a number of nationally chartered veterans' organizations watched their representatives sit front and center as President George W. Bush and tens of thousands of people gathered on the National Mall to officially open the national World War II monument. Ukrainian American veterans were there in Washington, but because they lacked a national charter, none were invited to participate in the commemoration in an official capacity, and none were represented on the dais with President Bush.

"I haven't been able to find out" why the resolution has languished, Mr. Koziak said. He said the subcommittee was simply "not bringing it up."

But the UAV has worked in a number of other ways to ensure its members are recognized for their service. The UAV continues to work as an official partner on the Veterans Oral History Project, which is housed at the Smithsonian Institute and will document what veterans like Mr. Schmotolocha remember of their time served in combat.

The project was established in order to record oral testimonies of World War II veterans but has been expanded to include veterans of other wars as well. The UAV was accepted to participate in the project in 2002 as one of 700 official partners nationwide and has taken part by collecting oral histories and sending them to the Library of Congress.

Additionally, the UAV continues to work on its Registration Project and is set to officially open a Ukrainian American Veterans Walkway in Hamptonburgh, N.Y. That monument, which will be dedicated on Sunday, June 13, "is dedicated to all Ukrainian American Veterans who have honorably served in the armed forces of the United States," a UAV release notes.

Mr. Polnyj, the adjutant of Post 27 in Brooklyn, N.Y., noted that three Ukrainian American Congressional Medal of Honor winners were posthumously honored over the Memorial Day weekend at the Hamptonburgh memorial, which is in the final stages of construction and is scheduled for completion by June 13.

At the memorial the UAV recognized Matej Kocak, who fought in the first world war and was also previously honored with the Navy and Army Medals of Honor for his service in France; Nicholas Minue, a member of the U.S. Army who earned his Medal of Honor for service in the second world war in 1944; and Peter Tomich, a member of the U.S. Navy who was aboard the U.S.S. Utah during the Japanese surprise attack on American forces stationed in Pearl Harbor in 1941.

"We are not only honoring Ukrainian American veterans, we are honoring all veterans," Mr. Polnyj said of the Hamptonburgh memorial.

Mr. Polnyj, who served with the Marine Corps during Vietnam as a radio and teletype operator, fought from 1966 to 1969 with the 3rd Marine Division. "I saw a few of my friends killed - friends that I grew up with." He said that remembering those who died and talking with fellow veterans helps him cope with his memories.

"[Memorial Day] has a special meaning. Some guys may not say it, but it does affect them. There but for the grace of God..." Mr. Polnyj said, referring to the fact that many of his friends never came back from the war.

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