GREEN BAY, Wis. (WFRV) – The Longhorn Steakhouse was packed with a procession line Sunday, leading to a man with a grin on his face from ear to ear, accepting kisses, hugs, and gifts with a laugh every time. The Pulaski-native is Jack Kraszewski, a local treasure and a hero with a historical impact.
“I’m glad I made it this far and I thank my Lord for that. He blessed me with a wonderful wife and two special daughters,” Kraszewski said. “My family and friends, I had so many friends. I had a good life. I was always happy, healthy, and prosperous. What more can you ask for?”
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Jack turned 100 years old on Sunday, and he has filled a lifetime with friends, family, and memories that went down in history. Jack was 18 when he was drafted into the U.S. Army in World War II, first landing on Utah Beach in Normandy on D-Day, and later fighting in the Battle of the Bulge, two key turning points in the war that paved the way for the Allies to win.
“I was a gunner on a 40-millimeter machine gun. And then we switched over to a machine gun that was 450 caliber,” he said. “That was a deadly weapon. Because you had tracer bullets, you could see where you were shooting, and any plane that came through our battalion or battery, they never got back home.”
One of Kraszewski’s first memories overseas was a happy one that took his mind straight back home.
“Guy says, ‘Hey Jack!’ Nobody in the service knew me as Jack. That was my neighbor and schoolmate,” he said. “Nine million soldiers and he picked me out.”
Kraszewski came to Europe alone but left with more friends and camaraderie than he could have imagined.
“I’m glad I did it. The friends I had,” he said. “We were best of friends. We each took care of each other.”
Some days were an enjoyable adventure, but others had Kraszewski witnessing the horrors that war had in store.
“There were a lot of days I enjoyed, a lot of days I didn’t like, but you take the good with the bad,” Kraszewski said. “I felt sorry for myself when I got home, I lost three years. But I didn’t really lose it, I was one of nine million that got rid of Hitler and the Nazi regime.”
“I went in the Army as a kid, I came out a man.”
Kraszewski was selected to be one of 60 veterans to take an 80th-anniversary trip to Normandy for D-Day.
“I was selected out of, I don’t know how many interviews, but 60 of us go. I want to see Normandy again. I landed there on Utah Beach. 80 years ago,” he said. “It’s going to be great. I’ll be excited.”
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Kraszewski knows the significance that trip will have.
“I’m a part of history,” Kraszewski said. “I’m starting to just enjoy it now, I didn’t think I’d reach this milestone.”
He has some words of wisdom to lead a long, fulfilled life.
“Live your day like it’s your last day. If you do that, you’ll make it,” Kraszewski said. “If I pass away tomorrow there would be no regrets. Because I had a good life.”
