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It had been rumored that Sgt. Theodore Szymanski of Sparta had earned a Bronze Star, among other medals, for his service in Vietnam.
But finding out whether or not he had for sure was difficult for his family members since Szymanski never talked about it much, and he later lost everything in a fire in 1998. Ted also died ten years later, almost 40 years to the day he entered combat.
However, a phone call last year helped to put the rumor of his medals to rest.
David Szymanski, formerly of Springwater, was speaking over the phone with his friend, Jim Simpson about obtaining some military records. The conversation bounced from obtaining the records of David’s father, to his own records and then to the rumored medals his cousin, Ted, had earned.
Simpson, who said he knew how to get those records, then made a phone call to a friend of his, the director of the Military Personnel Records center in St. Louis, Mo., and inquired. Sure enough, the rumors were true.
From there, David and Jim took the initiative to make sure Ted’s siblings would be given the medals and the Bronze Star citation he earned.
Ted was inducted into the Army July 25, 1967. After graduating from the U.S. Army Vietnam Advisors School the following April, he was promoted to Sergeant and served as a light weapons infantry advisor in Vietnam from November 1968 to June 1969.
He was released from service after one year, 11 months and five days from his induction.
When asked how Szymanski earned his bronze star, David recalled that it was probably his overall service as a light weapons infantry advisor who lived with and trained south Vietnamese militias and helped them defend their villages.
It is surmised that about 10–12 Americans were on his team.
The effort for David and Jim to acquire the new medals and citation was not enough. Simpson had commissioned a shadowbox to be made at Bolling Air Force Base in Washington, D.C. It happened that the craftsman was a Vietnam veteran himself, who served about 50 miles from where Szymanski had served, and during the same time.
The Springwater and Sparta Szymanski families gathered together inside the Daniel Goho American Legion Post 87 March 5, where Simpson and Livingston County Veterans Service Agency director Frank Hollister formally presented the shadowbox to Ted’s family, his brother Charles and sister Cathy accepted.
Although the rumors as to whether he earned those medals are now confirmed, the family is still not sure whether or not Ted ever actually acquired those medals during his lifetime.
It had been rumored that Sgt. Theodore Szymanski of Sparta had earned a Bronze Star, among other medals, for his service in Vietnam.
But finding out whether or not he had for sure was difficult for his family members since Szymanski never talked about it much, and he later lost everything in a fire in 1998. Ted also died ten years later, almost 40 years to the day he entered combat.
However, a phone call last year helped to put the rumor of his medals to rest.
David Szymanski, formerly of Springwater, was speaking over the phone with his friend, Jim Simpson about obtaining some military records. The conversation bounced from obtaining the records of David’s father, to his own records and then to the rumored medals his cousin, Ted, had earned.
Simpson, who said he knew how to get those records, then made a phone call to a friend of his, the director of the Military Personnel Records center in St. Louis, Mo., and inquired. Sure enough, the rumors were true.
From there, David and Jim took the initiative to make sure Ted’s siblings would be given the medals and the Bronze Star citation he earned.
Ted was inducted into the Army July 25, 1967. After graduating from the U.S. Army Vietnam Advisors School the following April, he was promoted to Sergeant and served as a light weapons infantry advisor in Vietnam from November 1968 to June 1969.
He was released from service after one year, 11 months and five days from his induction.
When asked how Szymanski earned his bronze star, David recalled that it was probably his overall service as a light weapons infantry advisor who lived with and trained south Vietnamese militias and helped them defend their villages.
It is surmised that about 10–12 Americans were on his team.
The effort for David and Jim to acquire the new medals and citation was not enough. Simpson had commissioned a shadowbox to be made at Bolling Air Force Base in Washington, D.C. It happened that the craftsman was a Vietnam veteran himself, who served about 50 miles from where Szymanski had served, and during the same time.
The Springwater and Sparta Szymanski families gathered together inside the Daniel Goho American Legion Post 87 March 5, where Simpson and Livingston County Veterans Service Agency director Frank Hollister formally presented the shadowbox to Ted’s family, his brother Charles and sister Cathy accepted.
Although the rumors as to whether he earned those medals are now confirmed, the family is still not sure whether or not Ted ever actually acquired those medals during his lifetime.
