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| Photo by Gene E. Lorence taken from the March 15, 1946 issue of The Griffin. Because of the war, there were no yearbooks for the 1944, 1945, and 1946 classes. |
John H. Kolecki
Canisius College Class of 1946
John H. Kolecki, originally named Janko, was born in 1920 in Tonawanda, NY to Polish-Ukranian immigrants. At age 20, Mr. Kolecki entered Canisius College to begin his studies for a degree in Social Science, but joined the Marine Corps at the end of his sophomore year. He was not, however, called to active service until the fall of 1943 when he received orders to report to boot camp at the Marine base in San Diego, CA. Following training, Mr. Kolecki volunteered for the paratrooper school and was assigned to the Fourth Battalion at Camp Gillespie, CA. During his training session, the paratrooper program was cancelled and Mr. Kolecki's unit was reassigned to the Camp Pendleton Marine base as part of the Fifth Marine Division.
After several months in advanced combat training at Camp Tarawa, HI, the Fifth Marine Division set out for Iwo Jima. The attack, which began on February 19, 1945, included 60,000 men. Shortly after landing on the beach with the first assault wave, Mr. Kolecki was injured after a bullet grazed his face. He recovered within a week and volunteered to rejoin his unit on Iwo Jima. After a few weeks of combat, Mr. Kolecki suffered injuries once again, this time from shrapnel. He was flown to the Guam Army base where he remained for two weeks. He was then sent to Pearl Harbor and finally back to Camp Tarawa. On March 14, 1945, nearly a month after the first landing, the Marines officially declared Iwo Jima secure. 6,800 American and 22,000 Japanese lives were lost.
After returning to his hometown of Tonawanda in November 1945, Mr. Kolecki decided to finish his studies at Canisius College. With the help of the Dean of Studies, Fr. John O'Sullivan, Mr. Kolecki was able to complete his BS degree in social science in time for graduation in March 1946.
In 2005, Mr. Kolecki published an autobiography entitled The Hybraid Amerykaniec, which covers his life as a Polish-Ukranian in Tonawanda, his experiences in World War II, and life in post-war Western New York. The book, pictured below, is available in Canisius's Bouwhuis Library. Click here for citation.
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