Passaic soldiers get recognition, 55 years after their tragic deaths
On the morning after one of the most divisive elections in American history, people in Passaic came together to remember the forgotten sacrifice of 15 young men who left town to join the Army one November morning 55 years ago — and were among 74 recruits who were killed in a plane crash that night.
For 55 years, there has been no monument to recall the loss of the 15 Passaic men who were killed aboard Imperial Airlines Flight 201/8 on Nov. 8, 1961. Sworn in to the Army that morning in Paterson, the Passaic contingent, along with six Clifton residents and one from Wayne, were aboard the flight en route to boot camp when it crashed outside Richmond, Va.
For years there’s been a monument in Clifton to the six victims from that city, but none in Passaic. That changed with the unveiling Wednesday in Veterans Third Ward Park.
Related: Passaic memorial to young soldiers killed in plane crash finally taking shape
“Their efforts warrant our remembrance,” said Joseph Dudek, who served as master of ceremonies. “These young men were soldiers who gave up their lives in the line of duty.”
The cliffhanger between Donald J. Trump and Hillary Clinton had ended only hours earlier with Trump the winner, and a morning after angst hung over the event like a cloud. But the rancor of the past 18 months ended the moment that a woman stood up and sang “America the Beautiful.”
Rev. Louis McDowell noted that “we are in the land of the dying, on our way to the land of the living,” and alluded to the years that have gone by. “The years have passed and the days have gone,” he said, “and it’s been a long time for the City of Passaic to have this service.”
Erecting the monument has been no small feat. The Passaic city historian, Mark Auerbach, first approached the City Council five years ago suggesting the dedication of a monument to the soldiers. His request originally went nowhere until another Passaic native, John Testa, picked up on the idea and began raising money on Facebook.
Members of the Rosul-Dul American Legion Memorial Post 359 in Passaic joined in and $32,000 was raised, said John Dubynacq, the vice commander. The city donated the plot in the Rose Garden of Veterans Third Ward Park, and people gathered in a cold, driving rain on Wednesday for the dedication, 55 years and a day after the tragedy.
“We talk about not leaving soldiers behind,” said Testa, 67, a psychologist who now lives in Brick. Testa said his father was a traumatized veteran when he came home from World War II. Testa counsels Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans through a free service, Giveanhour.org.
Testa was just a young man growing up in Passaic when Imperial Airlines flight crashed. Although he didn’t know any of the victims personally, “it was devastating,” for the city, Testa said.
Dudek said two of the victims, Patrick Robert Purcell and Stephen Paul Soltesz, were friends with his brother. Dudek recalled seeing them the night before they left for the Army. Dudek said that the Cold War was on in 1961, and that military service was something a young man could expect.
“We’re going to make the best of it, that was their motto,” Dudek recalled. “That was their attitude the day when they boarded Imperial Airlines Flight 208 and left us forever.”
A bell tolled once for each of the 15 victims.
Family members of four of the victims attended the ceremony and received American flags.
The Passaic men who died aboard Imperial Flight 208 are Henry Joseph Barna; Donald N. Gurtman; Joseph Kandravy; Donald Robert Kaplan; Valeri Korschuk; Hartmut Kuttnick; David Nathaniel Moore; Bernard Burrill Olster; Hellmut Petratschek; Patrick Robert Purcell; Edward Raymond Shamberger; Stephen Paul Soltesz; Richard James Vanderhoven; Richard Dolan Wall; and Alberto Zyczynski.
Email: cowenr@northjersey.com
