U.S. Air Force Vietnam/Gulf Wars Alsip, IL Flight date: October, 2019
By Al Rodriguez, Honor Flight Chicago Veteran Interviews Volunteer
Just like most baby boomers, Tad was born after World War II. But unlike U.S. boomers, he was born in Germany of native Polish parents. When he was 10, his family emigrated to the U.S. Quoting him: “This country was good to me and my family. It took us in and I wanted to do any little thing in helping it.” The “little thing” Tad did was serving in two wars.
Tad’s parents, Magdalena and Joseph, were married before Poland went to war with Germany. His father was a Polish soldier who was captured and sent to a POW camp outside of Krakow. His mother was sent to the Dachau concentration camp. With their liberation, when asked if they wanted to return to Poland, his dad said no, he didn’t want to live under communism. When asked if they’d like to go to America, his dad also refused with the hope that Poland would eventually be set free to govern itself. They were relocated to Goslar, Germany.
Their family grew – Tad was born in 1946, his brother John in 1947 and his youngest brother Stanley in 1951. In 1956, the family was approached by the Catholic Charities to see if they would relocate to the U.S. and their father finally agreed. They left with only the clothes on their backs. Catholic Charities sponsored their trip and found a job for his father at St. Casimir in Chicago. His mother became a chef at Polo Foods. Tad attended St. Casimir elementary school, but not being fluent in English, the neighborhood high school kids came to his rescue. They would come over in the afternoon to teach him.
Tad graduated from St. Mel High School in 1965 and went to work to help the family. In February of 1966, he received a draft notice and reported to the Van Buren Station. Ironically, at this time, he was not a U.S. citizen. He was given his physical and two weeks later told to report to Fort Knox for induction into the Army. After talking to a friend, he decided to join the Air Force.
He reported to Lackland Air Force Base in May of 1966 for Basic Training and was then assigned as a fuel specialist at Amarillo Air Force Base in Texas. He was sent to Guam for temporary duty (TDY) to complete his training. Returning to Amarillo, the Air Force asked him where he would like his next assignment. Other airmen advised him not to say your real request, so he chose Vietnam. His next assignment was close, Don Mueang Air Base in Bangkok, Thailand.
In June of 1968, he was again sent on TDY to the 360th Combat Support Squadron at Tan Son Nhut Air Base near Saigon, Vietnam. He worked 14 hour days, fueling all types of planes and helicopters for their various missions. Even though he was not an American citizen, he was granted a Top Secret clearance to also fuel the special ops planes. He was never off duty because when they heard the helicopters coming into the base, he along with others, would go out to help carry off the wounded and killed in action soldiers to the base hospital.
When he first arrived at Tan Son Nhut, he was befriended by Army Corporal Charlie Evans. As Tad explained, people serving in Nam didn’t want to know your name for the first 30 days just in case. Another of his duties was patrolling and guarding the base. He has a key chain with a P38 can opener for the C and K rations they received. He remembered many firefights; the first sound that he would hear was the “thump”sound of the incoming mortar shell. In January of 1969, during one firefight he slipped and fell as the mortars hit nearby and credits that with saving his life. Unfortunately, all that remained of his buddy Charlie Evans was his boot and nothing else. He did have one positive memory of Vietnam. In November of 1968, he had the “‘honor and the privilege” of not only fueling the C130 planes for the Bob Hope USO Show, but also watching it.
Tad was rotated back to Bangkok in April of 1969, then sent back to the U.S. for his next assignment and leave. He had two completely opposite experiences when he arrived back in the States. First, wearing his uniform at the San Francisco Airport he was sitting with a couple of Marines waiting for his flight to Chicago. A couple of long haired guys circled around them and started calling them baby killers. They ignored them until they spit at Tad. He threw a punch and the Marines joined in. Second, taking a taxi from O’Hare airport to his home, the cabbie refused his money for the fare, explaining that he had lost a son in Vietnam.
His last active duty assignment was at Phelps Collins Field in Alpena, Michigan, where they housed small detachments of fighter interceptor units. He held the rank of Technical Sergeant when he was discharged in May of 1970. He also met Bonnie in Alpena and married her on October 4, 1969. They were both gracious to let me interview Tad on their 50th Wedding Anniversary.
Tad and Bonnie returned to Chicago where he worked at American Starters. He was blessed with a daughter Roxanne on March 6, 1971, another daughter Christine August 4, 1974 and a son, Scott on August 11, 1978. Today he has eight grandchildren. He was sworn in as an American Citizen in 1972, and in 1976 joined the 126th Refueling Wing with the Air National Guard stationed at O’Hare Airport in Chicago. He was pleasantly surprised to meet Major Fox with the 126th, who served with the 5th Field Army Hospital in Vietnam. He understood the anguish of the Vietnam Vets and brought them together to talk and vent.
While serving with the 126th he fueled Air Force One for President H.W. Bush and President Clinton. In 1996, he was very proud to be a translator for the Polish delegation that came to the U.S. petitioning to be included in NATO. They joined with the 126th to prove that they could fit in with the U.S. military and NATO maneuvers. He was happy to be part of that team and has a picture signed by the delegation. In 1997, he went to Poland to finish the negotiations. Poland was admitted to NATO in 1998 and Tad was very proud to have helped Poland gain this status.
In August 1990, he was sent from O’Hare to Morón Air Force Base in Spain to support Operation Desert Shield as part of the Gulf War. He was sent with an advance Team to set things up before the rest of the 126th arrived. Command Chief Master Sergeant Chuck Sparcino selected him because he had been “in harm’s way.” The Strategic Air Command deployed 22 KC-135 and KC-10 Extender tankers to provide aerial refueling and Tad was on the aerial tankers doing refueling. After six weeks, he rotated back to O’Hare and didn’t have to return because the war ended quickly. In 1999, the O’Hare Air National Guard Base was closed. Tad retired as a Master Sergeant after 26 years of service. “The people made the military a pleasurable experience,” he said.
Today Tad fights the effects of Agent Orange from the spray used around the perimeter of the base at Tan Son Nhut to keep the foliage at bay. He jokes he is the walking dead but hanging in there. Tad has never talked about his experiences in Vietnam and did not want to see the Wall until the Moving Wall came to the south suburbs recently. The Post hosting the event asked for 24 hour guards and he agreed to take a turn. He found his buddy Charlie Evans’ name on The Wall and now wants to see the real thing although he is not sure how he’ll react.
Tad’s journey to the service for his country was unorthodox, with his parents surviving WWII and subsequent emigration to the U.S. We are indeed fortunate to have him as one of our citizens.