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Monday, December 20, 1999     Page: 6A

Lt. Col. Andrew W. Winiarczyk (USA-Ret.), 81, of East Grand Street,
Nanticoke, passed away Friday at the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical
Center, Wilkes-Barre. Born in Warrior Run on July 2, 1918, he was the son of
the late Andrew and Victoria Winiarczyk. He was a graduate of Nanticoke High
School, class of 1938. He served in the Civilian Conservation Corps and
attended Bucknell University Junior College (now Wilkes University) and the
Washington University of St. Louis. He also attended and graduated from the
Armor School at Fort Knox and several other military schools. He began his
22-year military career by enlisting in the U.S. Army on March 3, 1941, and
was assigned to the elite “Gold Guard” at Fort Knox, Ky. He was commissioned
through the OCS program into the Armored Corps in 1942. During World War II,
then Captain Winiarczyk, commanded Company “C” 25th Tank Battalion, 14th
Armored (Liberators) Division, landing in Marseilles and fighting alongside
the Free French Forces. He fought at Hatten-Rittershoffen, where his division
stopped Hitler’s last offensive of the war. He then commanded a tank company
under Gen. George S. Patton Jr., crossing the Rhine River into Bavaria. He was
part of the force that liberated over 200,000 allied prisoners at the camps at
Hammelburg and Moosburg. Capt. Winiarczyk then was appointed Military Governor
of an area of Germany the size of Luzerne County. Col. Winiarczyk’s awards and
decorations include the Gliderman’s Badge; the Bronze Star Medal, with “V”
device for valor in combat with two Oak Leaf Clusters; the Purple Heart; the
Army Commendation Medal; the American Defense Service Medal; the American
Campaign Medal; the EAME Medal with three Battle Stars for the Rhineland
Ardennes-Alsace and Central European Campaigns; the Victory Medal; the
Occupation Medal; and the National Defense Service Medal. He served with the
Judge Advocate General’s Office with the Occupation Forces in Korea. Col.
Winiarczyk was the professor of military science and tactics at Christian
Brothers College in St. Louis. He then commanded the 894th Tank Battalion at
Fort Knox. After his retirement, Col. Winiarczyk founded the 14th Armored
Division Association, which represents 30,000 officers and men who served in
the division. He was selected as their honorary president along with Gen.
Albert C. Smith, who commanded the division during World War II. Col.
Winiarczyk delivered the memorial address at the dedication of the Division’s
Memorial at Fort Chaffee and has delivered the address at Lincoln’s Tomb and
also participated in a ceremonial signing of the Declaration of Independence
at Independence Hall – one of only three times this had been done in the past
century. He also conceived and presented the Award of Honor to the Unknown
Soldiers of World War II and placed a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknowns at
Arlington National Cemetery. He was active in civic and cultural affairs and
was a prominent member of Nanticoke’s Bicentennial Committee and organized the
largest parade in the city’s history. He was commended by the National
Bicentennial Commission. He founded the Nanticoke Cultural and Historic
Committee. Prior to his military career, he was employed as a carrier for the
then Wilkes-Barre Record and worked for the Liberty Silk Mill. Following
retirement from the Army, he was employed by the General Cigar Corp., the
United Way Fund of Wyoming Valley, the Luzerne County Tourist Promotion Agency
and was the public relations director for the city of Nanticoke. Col.
Winiarczyk was a member of St. Mary of Czestochowa Church, Nanticoke, and its
Holy Name Society, the VFW Post 290, the Retired Officers Association and was
the founder and first commander of the AMVETS Post 42. He was preceded in
death by his wife of 53 years, the former Stasia Pieszak, on March 15, 1998;
and two brothers and a sister. Surviving are his son, Andrew Jr., of
Williamsport; nieces, Sandy Miklaszewicz and Lisa Toth. Military funeral
services will be held at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday from the Stanley S. Stegura Funeral
Home, 614 S. Hanover St., Nanticoke, with a Mass of Christian Burial at 9 a.m.
in St. Mary of Czestochowa Church, Nanticoke, with the Rev. John S. Krafchak,
pastor of St. Mary of Czestochowa, officiating. Interment will be in the
parish cemetery, Nanticoke. Friends may call from 6 to 8 p.m. this evening.
Memorial donations, if desired, may be made to the World War II Memorial
American Battle Monuments Commission, PO Box 96766, Washington, D.C.,
20090-6766, in Col. Winiarczyk’s memory.