Myron Diduryk was born on July 15, 1938. His home of record is Somerville, NJ. His family emigrated from Muzhylive, Western Ukraine in 1938, Diduryk and his parents followed in 1950.
Diduryk was a member of the Plast (the national scout organization of the Ukraine) in Jersey City and later joined “Siromantsi,” a Plast fraternity. A beloved leader in Plast circles, he helped organize branches throughout northern New Jersey. Diduryk also worked part-time at the Ukrainian National Association’s resort, Soyuzivka.
He attended St. Peter’s Prep in Jersey City from 1952 to 1956. He lived just around the corner on Green Street. Upon graduation from St. Peter’s Prep, he continued his education at St. Peter’s College in Jersey City graduating with a degree in Physics in 1960.
While at the college, he joined the ROTC, rising to the rank of Brigade Commander and was one of the few ROTC cadets in his class to be commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the US Army. After serving in Europe, Diduryk was deployed to Vietnam. Following the Battle of Ia Drang, he was promoted to Major. Completing his first tour of duty with honor and distinction, Diduryk served a second tour of duty in Vietnam as an Operations Officer with the 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry Division.
Diduryk was killed in action on April 24, 1970.
He is mentioned in the book We Were Soldiers Once …and Young seventeen times:
Diduryk, Myron F., commander of Bravo Company 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry in LZ X-Ray and LZ Albany, completed his tour in Vietnam with Bravo Company in 1966 and later returned to Vietnam and the 1st Air Cavalry Division as a Major. Assigned as the operations officer of the 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry, Diduryk was killed in action on April 24, 1970, in a Huey helicopter at an abandoned fire base near the Cambodian border. The battalion commander had ordered his command helicopter to land and check out a North Vietnamese soldier killed by the door gunner. As the command ship touched down, other NVA soldier opened up; Myron Diduryk was struck in the stomach in the doorway of the chopper. Thus died one of the finest officers who fought in the Ia Drang. On November 27, 1965, Diduryk wrote a detailed account of Bravo Company’s actions at X-Ray for the ROTC students at his alma mater, St. Peter’s College in Jersey City, NJ. The instructor of that class, Colonel John F Jeszensky (ret.), provided the authors with a copy of Diduryk’s journal and maps for this book. Diduryk is buried at the Fort Benning cemetery; his widow, Delores, lives in Jacksonville, FL.
Ukrainian American Veterans Post 30 in New Jersey is named for Diduryk.
Sources: Roger Knopf (veteran), Francis Browne (classmate), UAV Post 30 and NJVVMF.
12/17/2024
