EASTHAMPTON — Although Stanley Strempek Jr.’s memory is fading from dementia, he can recollect his military past from over 60 years ago.
“Today is the Marine Corps birthday. Two hundred and forty one years,” Strempek said Thursday. He said he dressed up in U.S. Marine Corps clothing to celebrate — a jacket, shirt and hat.
The decline of his memory started 13 years ago and it’s been a slow progression, his wife, Barbara, 78, said. But one thing he often looks back on is his time in the military.
On Dec. 26, 1951, when he was 19, he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps with three other Easthampton men — his brother Walter Strempek and friends George Biladeau and Frank Baranowski.
Although they served during the Korean War, Strempek said, they never went off to war. He remembers going to Parris Island in South Carolina for training and points out himself and Baranowski in a group photo labeled “Platoon S-3, Seventh Recruit Battalion, April 2, 1952.”
During his four years in the Marines, Strempek said, he served as military police in Panama and Cuba.
“I remember way back,” Strempek, 84, said. “The doctor said he couldn’t believe it … He said ‘Stanley, you’re in good shape.’”
Strempek opened his wallet and pulled out his Marines certificate of service and identification cards stating his period of active duty. The paper was ripped, discolored and the lamination was peeling off. For as long as he can remember, he has kept the documents in his wallet and pulls them out often when talking about his past.
From 1974-92, he served in the Air Force. In his room, he pointed out military memorabilia and framed documents on the wall from his over 20 years in the service.
“I love the Air Force … everything about it,” he said. Strempek was honorably discharged at age 60 due to his age. “I wanted to stay until I was 70, but they wouldn’t let me do it.”
A Marine Corps banner hung over his bed. Military dog tags dangled from his mirror and his dresser was topped with military memorabilia — mugs, a bear and a model Marine racecar. A hat sat on the floor reading “Korean Veteran and Proud of It.”
“I’m a veteran and proud of it,” he said with a smile.
Caitlin Ashworth can be reached at cashworth@gazettenet.com.