Chosen Families Project #26: The Story Chester Dudziec and the Dudziec Family - RETURNED
Portrait of Chester F. Dudziec - Courtesy of Relative
Hello all,
Welcome to the Chosen Families Project, where I return lost photographs and documents to loved ones.
I recovered these two WWII letters from a military memorabilia area at an antique store in Red Bank, New Jersey. The letters are from a Pvt. Chester F. Dudziec, who was in the United States Marine Corps; he was in Platoon 3, located in Recruit Depot Marine Barracks, in Paris Island, South Carolina. Both the letters are addressed to a Mr and Mrs. Stanislaus Dudziec, who resided at 486 Washington Avenue, in Hackensack, NJ. The first letter is dated September 7th, 1940 (postmarked September 9th), and the second letter is dated September 18th, 1940 (postmarked September 19th).
Both letters are in Polish, likely Chesters native tongue or spoken in his household. Each of them is written on United States Marine Corps letterhead, with a dog and insignia in the top left corner.
After doing some careful research based on the information I had located on both Chester F. Dudziec, and his parents Mr. and Mrs. Stanislaus Dudziec, I was able to locate a relative and send these out to them! I also found out many of the Dudziec family had participated in the harrowing global conflict of WWII.
Here is the story of the Chester F. Dudziec, his father Stanislaus Dudziec, and the Dudziec family, many of who served in the armed forces during WWII.
Stanislaus Dudziec was born on the 7 May, 1881 in Goworowo, Ostroleka, Poland. He had immigrated to the United States approximately in 1907 at the age of 26. On the 30th of August 1909 he married his wife Amelia Kitowski, born 1887 in Minnesota, in Chapel Hill, Texas. Amelia was the daughter of Polish immigrants, who later resided in Texas in the early 20th century. They would eventually move to Hamilton, Tioga County, Pennsylvania, where they would have 10 children, 5 daughters and 5 sons. Chester Frank Dudziec was their 7th child, born on 29 Jan 1921 in Pennsylvania.
Stanislau & Amelia Dudziec - Courtesy of Relative
By 1930, according to census records, the family would eventually settle in Hackensack, Bergen County, New Jersey. Also according to these census records, Chester would reside with his parents in 1930 and in 1940. His father Stantislaus worked as a Church Organist for the St. Joseph’s R.C Church in Hackensack in 1928 (article from 1959 notes he was their 78 year old organist celebrating the churches 50 year anniversary). In a June 1938 article, it notes that Chester, aged 17, was part of Polish Youth Players cast for “The Antics of Andrew.” The next year, in 1939, Chester would graduate from Hackensack High School.
The Record | Hackensack, New Jersey · Friday, June 17, 1938
Photograph of a young Chester, Courtesy of Relative
The Record | Hackensack, New Jersey · Wednesday, June 14, 1939
Chester would enlist in the United States Marine Corps on the 10 July 1940, aged 19, based on records from the U.S Marine Corps Muster Rolls. In accordance with his letters, he was stationed at Parris Island in South Carolina. A newspaper article from the 12 July 1940 details his enlistment, which reads:
The Record | Hackensack, New Jersey · Friday, July 12, 1940
Chester had been in extensive communication with his family while serving in the Marine Corps. Here is what is written in these letters, which I am grateful to have translated through help on Reddit. One important note from those who translated it state:
It's clear English is his first language, he uses English words where he doesn't know the Polish ones, and some of the sentence structure is English using Polish words, rather than how a native Polish speaker would write it. There are also a few spelling mistakes.
The first letter was written the 7 of September and postmarked the 9 September 1940 from Parris Island, South Carolina addressed to both his parents. It reads (translated from Polish to English)
Saturday 7th September, 1940
Dearest Mum and Dad,
I received the letter from Dad? and Jawinia [Jadwiga?]. I am already in "main station" and will be here until Thursday or Friday, if I don't have to work in the kitchen. I don't yet know where they will send me but it will certainly be in this country. No one write to me until I let [you] know where I will be. I may still stay here.
I am sending five dollars because they gave me eleven yesterday. They pay out every two weeks. In a couple of months I will be getting ten dollars more and three for "sharpshooter" [qualification] so I will send more home. Mum can do what she wants with the money.
How is everything at home? Is everyone well? What is Alfons doing? I am as healthy as a horse. Everything is good here. Does Monika still remember me? When does school start?
It is getting a bit cooler here now but sometimes it is very hot.
Dad doesn't need to send me anything because I will be 'free' [on leave?] in a week or two and will be able to do what I want. I have nothing more to write [so?] go with God.
Loving son,
Czesiu [Note: Czesiu is usually the diminutive of Czesław; Chester is the closest to the Polish name.]
The second letter was written the 18 of September and postmarked the 19 September 1940, also from Parris Island, South Carolina addressed to his mother, Ameli. It reads (translated from Polish to English)
September 18, 1940
(Wednesday)
Dear [literally, beloved] Mother,
Yesterday I finished work[ing] in the kitches and today found out that they will send me to Quantico, Virginia. This is near Arlington where Mieciu [= Mieczysław] lives. I will have [to do] something with airplanes, maybe radio. I wil also be in the Fleet Marine Force. Five others with me will be in the same place. We will leave on Friday.
I think I will be able to see Miecio frequently, and maybe can come home.
In a moment we will go to be issued our green uniforms. They look quite good. They will be for winter. [I suppose they had the khaki summer/tropical uniforms.]
This morning we had our platoon photographed and I will buy two pictures.
I will send my address as soon as I arrive.
[Your] loving son
Czesiu
In addition to these letters, there is an article detailing his experience from September 9, 1940, around the exact time the letters were published when Chester was at Parris Island. Based on this article, it looks like one of his close friends, a “Hackensack Buddy” named Charles A. Georgia Jr.
Based on my research, it also appears that he also had a lot of siblings, both brothers and sisters, that enlisted in the military too.
Chester’s older brother Benjamin J. Dudziec had enlisted on the 6 July 1942 as part of the Army. He was discharged on the 7 Dec 1945, making it up to the rank of Sergeant.
Chester’s older sister Bernice Dudziec had enlisted on the 2 Nov 1942 as part of the Army Nurses Corps, up to the rank of Major. She was discharged on the 10 Jan 1946.
Chester’s younger brother Alfons Dudziec, had enlisted likely in 1942 like his siblings, and he was also in the Army; he had reached the rank of Corporal, serving with the 322nd Field Artillery Battalion 83rd Division.
Another sibling, his youngest sister Veronica, might have been involved with the Army Nursing Corps like her sister Bernice. There is a record for her in the collection “U.S., World War II Cadet Nursing Corps Card Files, 1942-1948” attending the Hackensack Hospital School of Nursing.
Benjamin J. Dudziec
(Photograph From Relative)
Bernice Dudziec
(Photograph From Relative)
Alfons Dudziec Headstone in Normany,France
Since this collection was new to me I decided to read into it further, and it has some interesting his surrounding it. The collection description on Ancestry reads:
After the United States entered World War II, the military’s needs quickly brought on a nursing shortage. To address the need, federal funding, administered by the Public Health Service, began flowing to nursing schools in 1942, and in 1943 Congress authorized the Cadet Nurse Corps. The Corps offered scholarships for tuition and fees, stipends, and uniforms to women ages 17–35 who went to nursing school and committed to serve in the nursing profession for the duration of the war. The Corps did not discriminate on race and graduated almost 125,000 nurses.
Tragedy would strike the Dudziec family in 1944. On July 15, Chester’s brother, a Corporal, was killed in action in France.
One of the relatives had located the report from the military detailing when and where this happened, in addition to a newspaper article describing the tragedy that took place, as well as his siblings involvement in the military.
The Record | Hackensack, New Jersey · Thursday, August 31, 1944
He is buried in Normandy Cemetery in St. Laurent, France, and was posthumously given the Purple Heart Award.
By July of 1946, Chester was discharged from the military according to draft card records, as well as most of his other siblings.
I could not locate the family on the 1950 census yet.
Chester’s father, Stanislaus Dudziec, would pass away on the 5 July 1965, at the age of 84.
The Record | Hackensack, New Jersey · Tuesday, July 06, 1965
His wife, Amelia, would pass away on the 30 Dec 1991 at the age of 104. Both are buried in Saint Michael’s Cemetery, alongside their daughter Bernice, in Hackensack, NJ
According to Amelia’s obituary, she was survivor of the Galveston Floods of 1900. According to Wikipedia, this was caused by “one of the deadliest hurricanes in American history”, claiming between 6,000 and 12,000 lives.
It also notes further:
The 1900 Galveston hurricane, also known as the Great Galveston hurricane and the Galveston Flood, and known regionally as the Great Storm of 1900 or the 1900 Storm, is the deadliest natural disaster in United States history.The strongest storm of the 1900 Atlantic hurricane season, it left between 6,000 and 12,000 fatalities in the United States; the number most cited in official reports is 8,000. Most of these deaths occurred in and near Galveston, Texas, after the storm surge inundated the coastline and the island city with 8 to 12 ft (2.4 to 3.7 m) of water. It remains among the deadliest Atlantic hurricanes on record.
It is absolute miracle that she survived, as it had claimed so many lives.
Chester F. Dudziec would pass away on in Walton, New York at the age of 82 on the 2 Jan 2004.
All in all, letters, like photographs, can tell a story. I am so incredibly proud to share this family story of both victory, service, and loss. It is incredible that 2 letters were able to offer a small glimpse into the lives of the Dudziec family. These letters have since been returned to the relative, who notes that they are super excited to receive them.
If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to me at thechosenfamiliesproject@gmail.com.
Thank you so much for reading.
Remember that you are loved and always welcome.
