In April, 100-year-old Eugene “Jack” Kraszewski was honored by the Pulaski community with a birthday parade and hero’s sendoff as he celebrated his remarkable life. The parade featured a color guard and Kraszewski riding in an olive-green jeep along St. Augustine Street to Pulaski High School, where the Red Raider band played the “Armed Forces Medley” and he received a 21-gun salute. Onlookers gathered on the sidewalks to cheer, take photos, and capture videos of the celebration.
Now, Kraszewski is preparing to cross the Atlantic once again in remembrance of one of the most important days in history – D-Day. He is among 70 World War II veterans traveling to Normandy on an American Airlines charter flight to commemorate the 80th anniversary of this historic event on June 6, 1944. As one of those brave soldiers who landed on a Normandy beach that day and survived the fierce battles of World War II, Kraszewski has lived through a century of history and witnessed some incredible moments.
Kraszewski was drafted into the U.S. Army at 18, just before graduating high school. He served in an anti-aircraft unit from March 1943 to February 1946, witnessing firsthand some of the most significant events of World War II. His service was recognized by former U.S. Rep. Mike Gallagher in
