LATHAM, N.Y. – Maj. Gen. Ray Shields, the adjutant general of New York, honored a World War II Soldier 80 years to the day after he was killed in combat.
Shields presented the New York State Conspicuous Service Cross to the niece and grandniece of Pvt. John Greschiak, a resident of Watervliet, New York, who was killed in action on Sept. 16, 1944, during a rescue mission outside Niedersgegan, Germany.
The medal recognizes distinguished federal military service by a New Yorker. Because Greschiak, who joined the Army in 1943, was awarded the Purple Heart posthumously, his family was entitled to request and receive the New York medal on his behalf.
“Serving our nation in a combat zone is not a common occurrence today,” Shields said. ”And even in World War II, at the height of the largest war ever fought, it was not where the average Soldier would find themselves.”
“Being at the tip of the spear in ground combat is the very essence of serving one’s nation and fighting for the welfare of their fellow Soldiers,” he said. “That’s what Private Greschiak was doing when he was killed by enemy fire.“