TE | ) | @ Sunday, April 10, 2011 THE DALLAS POST PAGE 11 MEMORIES Continued from Page 1 one of self-determination. The youngest of nine children, Dom- broski was adamant about grad- uating from high school and col- lege, something his eight siblings had not done. He spent one year in King’s College’s chemistry program and felt the financial burden of a col- lege education. “I was broke,” he said. Dombroski traveled to Detroit, Mich. to work in an automotive factory until he was drafted in 1951. He was sent to Fort Hood in Texas, where he completed his basic training in the U.S. Army Infantry, 1st Armored Division in 1952. What came next was a sur- prise he thought he could avoid. {He said he often listened to the experiences of his three brothers, all of whom served in the Army during World War II. Each of his brothers had served overseas — one in Western Europe, another in Italy and the third in the Pacif- ic Theater. “My brothers always told me ‘Don’t volunteer to do anything.’ A commander asked us during lunch one day, ‘Anybody want to go to Europe?’ and so many peo- ple raised their hands, but I didn’t. I listened to their advice,” said Dombroski. “The command- er came back after lunch and told us, ‘Everybody who didn’t raise their hands is going to Korea.’ I told my brothers, ‘You gave me some bad information.” After his graduation from basic training, Dombroski flew to Seat- tle, Wash. and then to Tokyo, Ja- pan and Seoul, Korea. He was sta- tioned in an area referred to as the Punch Bowl, which was locat- To see a video of Thomas Dom- broski reflecting on his experi- ences during the Korean War, visit www.mydallaspost.com. ed about 60 miles north of Chun- chon, Korea at the 38th parallel, the pre-war border between North and South Korea. “In Tokyo we were given our guns and other equipment,” he said. “I knew this wasn’t going to be for fun.” The area is characterized by hills and deep valleys, but Dom- broski said his battalion was lo- cated in a relatively safe place — as safe as one can be in the midst of battle. The Battle of Heart- ‘break Ridge, a major battle in the Korean War, had been fought from Sept.-Oct. of 1951 and Dom- broski said the area was stabiliz- ed prior to his arrival. While touring Washington, D.C. last week, his memory was jogged almost instantly upon see- ing the Korean Veterans Memo- rial. The memorial is comprised of 19 stainless steel lifelike sculp- tures, depicting men in battle during the time, and it leads to a granite wall etched with the phrase, “Freedom is not free.” A 21-year-old at the time of the war, Dombroski said he didn’t pay close attention to the news, but he knew Korea was “a hot po- tato” during the early 1950s. “I was hoping I would come out all right,” he said. “But I was not one to shirk my duty. I would take whatever the cards dealt me.” After 11 months, though, he had had enough. Though the ar- ea was technically stable, there was gunfire, grenades and other dangers that left him exhausted —- but not enough to take a break. “After 10 months, you're sup- Thomas Dombroski, 80, of Trucksville, is shown here in his U.S. Army Infantry uniform circa 1952. posed to take rest and relaxation in Tokyo,” he said. “I didn’t be- cause I wanted to get home.” He’s thankful he did. When he returned home from Korea in March 1953, he heard news of an- other major battle in Korea — the Battle of Pork Chop Hill between U.S. Infantry troops and Commu- nist Chinese and Korean soldiers. Dombroski’s life returned to normal once he returned home. He was honorably discharged in 1958 and went on to graduate from King’s College with a de- gree in chemistry. He settled in Trucksville, got married in 1956 and became a father of four chil- dren. - But he’ll never forget the time he spent overseas, from the once- a-week showers to the once-daily hot meals. While he said it wasn’t an easy time, he believes the time he spent in the military made him a stronger person. “I was driven,” he said. Jim O'Connell, creative director with Resource Media, greets a participant at the 2010 Back Moun- tain Business Association Expo. EXPO Continued from Page 1 tion. | A second lecture, titled “Health Care Reform” from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. will review aspects of the Health Care Reform Law of which : employers should be aware, Nardone said. Both lec- tures, presented by the Sletzer Group from Pottsville, will be IF YOU GO... The Back Mountain Business Expo will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, April 20 in Insalaco Hall on Misericordia University's cam- pus, Dallas. Two lectures, “Liability Risks Business Do Not Often Understand” from 10 a.m. to noon and “Health Care Reform" from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m., will be held in the Mary Kintz Bevevino Library on the third floor in the McGo- wan Room. The lectures are free but registration is required due to limited seating. Contact the BMBA at 675-9380. seating. Those wishing to partici- pate are asked to contact the BMBA at 675-9380. keting/advertising to managing cash flow conducted by Wilkes University’s Small Business De- held in the Mary Kintz Bevevino = Nardone said the BMBA will velopment Center. A $25 fee is re- Library on the third floor in the continue to host monthly work- quired for these upcoming McGowan Room. shops for business owners from events. A full list of upcoming lec- The lectures are free but regis- May through November on a va- tures is available on the BMBA tration is required due to limited riety of topics ranging from mar- website. Puzzles, Page 2 . — King Crossword — Answers —— 00 Figure! Super Crossword . . ” . answers Answers Solution time: 21 mins. 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Td | {R| |S AlL|I [TEE T|(R|A[M|P[L|E|D 9 2 3 + 7 10 aril HEHE NlA[N[c[Yllo]Rr[B |K|U C|K M E EEE TON BEER alu guise clule Ja lcl a luuleln SIOIOIN OlLID DIOIEIR 21 18 14 AN TEMDI/E|L AY BlE|E/REMHIA[RIE[M Members of the Masonic Village Activities Committee and the Back Pack Committee at Trinity Presbyterian Church (TPC) work together to feed hungry children. From left, first row, Lucille Luksic, Rita Zampetti, Catherine Bolinski, Nancy Lamberton and Barbara Lodwick. Second row, Thelma Smith, Annie Bisher, Mary Chappell, and Carlene McCaffrey. Third row, Alice Kocher, C. Don Kocher and Rev. Roger Griffith, pastor, Trinity Presbyterian Church. Back Pack Project benefits CDC To ensure local children have enough to eat when they aren’t in school, Trinity Presby- terian Church started a Back Pack Project in 2007 to benefit the Child Development Center. To assist with this worth- while project, members of the Masonic Village at Dallas’ Ac- tivities Committee recently stepped up to help. Through the program, volun- teers fill between 10 and 12 back packs weekly, each with two breakfasts, two lunches, snacks and fruits, vegetables and a dessert to complement a family dinner. Children, rang- ing in age from 4 to 12, take home the back packs on Friday so they have enough food to eat throughout the weekend when they can’t take advantage of school meal programs. The food selection includes peanut butter and jelly, macaroni and cheese and other items which children can easily prepare themselves. In four months, Masonic Vil- lage residents raised more than $500 to support the project and also volunteered their time to fill the back packs. The extra money and helping hands from Masonic Village and other friends of the pro- gram have enabled the church to add items to the back packs including school supplies, a summer picnic lunch, fresh fruit and age-appropriate books during special times of the year. Residents of the Masonic Vil- lage, an age 60 and over retire- ment community, also serve their neighbors by baking coo- kies for the Dallas Township fire and ambulance and a local soup kitchen during the holi- day season. Trinity Presbyterian Church is the first in Luzerne County to participate in the program and receives assistance from the Commission on Economic Opportunity (CEO) in Wilkes- Barre and Weis Market in Dal- las. Powwow slated The Sixth Annual Mothers Day Intertribal Powwow with free admission will be held from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday, May 7 and from 10 a.m. to dusk on Sunday, May 8 at the Noxen Fire Co. grounds, Stull Road. The event, which honors all . mothers, is a gathering for all people that benefits the Noxen for Mother's Day weekend Fire Co. Gates open at 10 a.m. both days, with Grand Entry of all dignitaries and dancers in full regalia at noon Indian Time. The event will feature Native American dancing, drumming, storytelling, children’s dances, fry bread by Donna, crafts, bead- work, jewelry, blankets, food by the Noxen Fire Company and much more. Special events include a give- away on Saturday. Admission is free. Dogs are welcome but must be leashed and cleaned up after at all times. Visitors are asked to bring their own lawn chair. All drums are welcome. GUILTY Continued from Page 1 and need money and treatment to get through their lives.” Superintendent Frank Gal- icki, who spent most of his time on the phone soliciting “bail money,” said he’s proud to see the students so involved in a great cause. “It’s a great fundraiser and it’s a great opportunity to show how the schools and students . work together with the commu- nity,” said Galicki, who man- aged to raise $500 for the cause within an hour. Sandy Scott, of Kunkle, and Rose Higgins, of Harveys Lake, didn’t mind being behind bars at all - in fact, the Curry Donuts representatives kept their pris- oner costumes on long after photos were taken. “Were always doing some- thing,” said Higgins. “We even dress up during the holidays.” The pair spent about a month raising awareness about the event, and left a sign for cus- tomers to “bail them out” while the women were away from the doughnut shop on Route 415. Higgins said the Curry staff donated about 25 percent of its tips to the fund, but for the last couple days they donated 100 percent. The pair also received donations from Ochman’s Jew- elry in Dallas for an auction in support of the cause. “It’s all about the kids,” said Scott. “We’ve had such great support from our customers and the community.” Higgins even made jailbird doughnuts with white icing and chocolate stripes to alert cus- Atlas Realty, Inc. 829-6200 » www.atlasrealtyinc.com tomers of the fundraiser. “We're having fun,” she said. Middle school students Jared Krawets, 12, of Dallas, and Nathan Kollar, 13, of Trucks- ville, were happy to take time off from class to enjoy the pizza party but were more concerned about aiding others who need it most. “We're here because of the MDA and we know some people aren’t as fortunate as us,” said Kollar. “It’s nice to help people.” He said that the students were more than willing to do- nate time and finances toward the cause, but there was one as- pect of the fundraiser that also urged students to take part. “I think that’s the reason why so many kids participated - to see (Duffy and Galicki) behind bars,” laughed Kollar. “If they didn’t do that, I think there would be less participation.” Charles A. Adonizio, li Broker, GRI, SRES 8 CIRCLE DR., KINGSTON TWP. «$179,900 Beautiful ranch home with 2 car garage and finished basement on almost 1 acre near Francis Slocum State Park. Clean as a whistle, no wear and tear on this one. Kitchen redone in 1992, bath remodeled in 2003, large 3 season porch, large level lot, home warranty, great location. MLS #11-370. Dir: From Mt. Olivet Rd, turn onto Sickler Rd, right on Circle Dr, 1st home on left. Call Charlie 829-6200 VM 101
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