Theodore J Shalkowski
This memory and photos were provided to the Society by Theodore Shalkowski's granddaughter, Colleen Morissette.
Theodore J Shalkowski was born 11-01-1914 in Braddock Pennsylvania. He also lived in East Pittsburgh, PA, Turtle-creek, PA, Madison, WI and Tarpon Springs FL. He died in 1990 and is buried at the VA Bay Pines Cemetery in FL. During his life after the service he worked as a general laborer.
Theodore (Ted) served in WW2 from 11-26-1943 to 2-13-1946, he was honorably discharged as a Staff Sergeant (SSGT). During this time he served with the 27th Infantry, which was assigned to the 24th and 25th Divisions.
Ted was not a very warm or kind man to his family, which included Mary Catherine Rauls, Statz (Shalkowski) and his two step daughters Virginia and Louann Statz.
He kept to himself and was very quiet. We had all seen his photo albums from WW2, but the family was a bit put off by the graphic nature of some of the photos (upon close inspection, these were professional photos that were most likely given to the troops as a keepsake). Upon his death, I took the albums, since as the wife of an Army Veteran, I had a better understanding and appreciation of them.
I recently went through them and found them extremely engaging and beautiful. I believe that if Ted had stayed in the service longer he would have been a better man. The obvious affection and comradeship captured in the candid photos from his time at Schofield Barrack and in theater in the pacific (Philippines and Japan), show a man none of us knew while he was alive.
The graphic war photos and the photos from the surrender of Japanese General Yamashita, September 1945 in Baguio Luzon Philippines have been donated to the WW2 museum. If my family could have seen past these graphic photos, they would have had a much better understanding of SSGT Theodore J Shalkowski.
I hope you enjoy these candid photos of the 27th Infantry from 1943-1946.
Colleen Morissette