GLANVILLE, JOHN ★ 18 MAR 34 - JUN 66 MEEKER, EDWARD ★ 1 MAR 48 - JUN 68 GLAWSON, GEORGE ★ 18 JAN 50 - 1 JUN 71 HANSON, ROBERT ★ 6 AUG 48 - 1 JUN 68 RAMSEY, STEVEN ★ 29 OCT 43 - 1 JUN 68 STALEVICZ, GREGORY ★ 25 MAR 49 - 1 JUN 68 WASHINGTON, ALBERT ★ 8 MAR 46 - 1 JUN 69 WOLFE, JOHN ★ 11 DEC 47 - 1 JUN 68 BROWN, GERALD ★ 2 JUL 47 - 2 JUN 68 CREWS, JOHN ★ 26 MAR 42 - 2 JUN 68 LUTZ, WERNER ★ 16 AUG 38 - 2 JUN 65 RENZ, RAYMOND ★ 22 NOV 46 - 2 JUN 67 BONINE, THOMAS ★ 13 FEB 48 - 3 JUN 69 KIERNAN, JOSEPH ★ 19 MAY 27 - 3 JUN 67 SCHULTZ, CHARLES ★ 30 SEP 44 - 3 JUN 67 SZAWALUK, NICKOLAS ★ 5 SEP 47 - 3 JUN 68 TURNER, PRESTON ★ 15 FEB 48 - 3 JUN 67 WILLIAMS, ALLEN ★ 2 NOV 43 - 3 JUN 68 DORN, PHILIP ★ 23 APR 45 - 4 JUN 66 TEBAULT, BENJAMIN ★ 4 DEC 42 - 4 JUN 72 TORRES, ARCADIO ★ 27 MAY 28 - 4 JUN 70 BACON, PAUL ★ 24 JAN 50 - 5 JUN 72 KLEIN, JOSEPH ★ 18 FEB 49 - 5 JUN 68 WIGGINS, ALFRED ★ 5 MAY 51 - 5 JUN 70 BENN, WILLIAM ★ 4 JUN 47 - 6 JUN 69 BOYD, SAMUEL ★ 28 JUL 44 - 6 JUN 68 BRANCH, WILLIAM ★ 11 JUL 41 - 6 JUN 70 CALLAHAN, MICHAEL ★ 11 APR 48 - 6 JUN 69 CYRAN, RICHARD ★ 17 FEB 49 - 6 JUN 69 GUNSTER, DAVID ★ 5 AUG 26 - 6 JUN 68 SCHAUBLE, KENNETH ★ 23 OCT 47 - 6 JUN 68 SHEPPARD, LONNIE ★ 29 SEP 48 - 6 JUN 68 SIMMONS, WILLIAM ★ 6 JAN 46 - 6 JUN 68 VALLECILLO, EDGAR ★ 20 MAR 48 - 6 JUN 67 ARRIBI, DONALD ★ 11 JUN 48 - 7 JUN 69 BASHAW, DAVID ★ 11 MAR 48 - 7 JUN 66 BOWEN, LARRY ★ 30 JAN 51 - 7 JUN 69 CORCORAN, RICHARD ★ 21 AUG 38 - 7 JUN 68 ESPY, JOHNNIE ★ 14 MAR 47 - 7 JUN 68 IASELLO, DENNIS ★ 23 JUL 48 - 7 JUN 69 KALIVAS, JOHN ★ 7 JAN 48 - 7 JUN 69 SHELLEY, GREGORY ★ 15 OCT 47 - 7 JUN 68 BARKER, JEFFREY ★ 1 OCT 46 - 8 JUN 67 MOURITZEN, DONALD ★ 26 JUN 46 - 8 JUN 67 YOHN, THOMAS ★ 29 JAN 47 - 8 JUN 66 OLESON, JOSEPH ★ 17 APR 43 - 9 JUN 68 PIZZI, CHARLES ★ 10 JUL 42 - 9 JUN 65 BUCZYNSKI, GREGORY ★ 21 DEC 45 - 10 JUN 66 COPPEDGE, LAWRENCE ★ 10 DEC 48 - 10 JUN 69 PONTO, AUGUSTUS ★ 29 SEP 45 - 10 JUN 67 FOLEY, JOHN ★ 11 JUN 47 - 11 JUN 67 FRAMBES, JOHN ★ 24 APR 47 - 11 JUN 67 MILLS, KARL ★ 8 OCT 45 - 11 JUN 69 REYNOLDS, ROBERT ★ 7 JAN 48 - 11 JUN 67 SEKVA, ROBERT ★ 1 JAN 48 - 11 JUN 69 ZAMORSKI, GLENN ★ 5 OCT 42 - 11 JUN 68 ZYCK, FRED ★ 1 FEB 48 - 11 JUN 69 JENKINS, CLIFFORD ★ 12 SEP 45 - 12 JUN 68 LEWIS, BENJAMIN ★ 17 NOV 42 - 12 JUN 69 RAAB, JAMES ★ 12 JAN 43 - 12 JUN 68 ANDUJAR, CHARLES ★ 3 JUL 34 - 13 JUN 69 CHRISTIE, DONALD ★ 20 AUG 48 - 13 JUN 69 DUTCHES, WILLIAM ★ 16 APR 45 - 14 JUN 66 ELLISON, JASPER ★ 31 MAY 49 - 14 JUN 68 TUFTS, ROBERT ★ 22 DEC 42 - 14 JUN 69 CRANE, DENNIS ★ 20 SEP 47 - 15 JUN 68 FANNING, EDWARD ★ 23 APR 48 - 15 JUN 69 MADDEN, FRANCIS ★ 25 JUL 32 - 15 JUN 69 MCCLOSKEY, ROBERT ★ 1 MAR 49 - 15 JUN 68 TAMAGNINI, JOSEPH ★ 10 JUL 46 - 15 JUN 68 THIBAULT, JEFFERY ★ 15 JUL 49 - 15 JUN 68 WICKLINE, DONALD ★ 6 JUN 46 - 15 JUN 69 GRAY, ROBERT ★ 12 MAY 48 - 16 JUN 70 LYONS, FRANK ★ 26 DEC 26 - 16 JUN 66 PACKER, JOSEPH ★ 13 JUL 45 - 16 JUN 66 RUTH, DENNIS ★ 9 DEC 46 - 17 JUN 67 SIEGWARTH, DONALD ★ 28 JUN 41 - 17 JUN 66 STEVENSON, CLEMENT ★ 11 MAR 42 - 17 JUN 66 WATSON, MARVIN ★ 17 MAY 49 - 17 JUN 69 BALL, ROBERT ★ 29 NOV 49 - 18 JUN 68 MATHEWS, JAMES ★ 2 NOV 45 - 18 JUN 68 RHODES, WILLIE ★ 20 SEP 47 - 19 JUN 67 SLOMIANY, KAZIMIERZ ★ 25 FEB 45 - 19 JUN 67 MCDONOUGH, JOHN ★ 10 MAY 39 - 20 JUN 66 SCHWEYHER, JOHN ★ 9 DEC 47 - 20 JUN 67 BARTON, JAMES ★ 8 AUG 50 - 21 JUN 69 DOUGHERTY, ROBERT ★ 7 AUG 47 - 21 JUN 67 BEZEGA, MICHAEL ★ 9 JUL 48 - 22 JUN 70 ENGLE, RUSSEL ★ 4 OCT 46 - 22 JUN 67 HOOPER, VINS ★ 6 JUL 46 - 22 JUN 67 LYONS, GEORGE ★ 29 DEC 50 - 22 JUN 69 MURPHY, TIMOTHY ★ 23 JUL 47 - 22 JUN 67 PARMERTER, MICHAEL ★ 30 JUL 44 - 22 JUN 69 POOR, GEORGE ★ 26 OCT 47 - 22 JUN 67 STEIDLER, JOHNSON ★ 21 OCT 47 - 22 JUN 67 CHAPMAN, SHERMAN ★ 9 AUG 29 - 23 JUN 66 GILCHRIST, RICKY ★ 2 JAN 50 - 23 JUN 71 MCWILLIAMS, GEORGE ★ 25 NOV 44 - 23 JUN 66 DE SIMONE, ALFRED ★ 27 JUL 49 - 24 JUN 69 SANTIAGO, LUIS ★ 8 FEB 48 - 24 JUN 66 IHNAT, MICHAEL ★ 29 APR 43 - 25 JUN 65 MONGILARDI, PETER ★ 1 JUL 25 - 25 JUN 65 CORREA, ANGEL ★ 12 MAR 47 - 26 JUN 67 DE LUCA, RAYMOND ★ 12 FEB 48 - 27 JUN 68 DICESARE, ANTHONY ★ 30 NOV 44 - 27 JUN 67 KEEN, ARTHUR ★ 1 AUG 46 - 27 JUN 66 PAQUIN, PAUL ★ 3 MAY 49 - 27 JUN 70 ROBERTSON, DAVID ★ 19 DEC 45 - 27 JUN 68 LENZSCH, ROLF ★ 25 DEC 35 - 28 JUN 67 RISOLDI, VINCENT ★ 5 JAN 47 - 28 JUN 65 FELDER, JESSE ★ 17 MAR 43 - 29 JUN 66 WILKINS, BOBBY ★ 11 JUN 45 - 29 JUN 69 MORGAN, JOHN ★ 8 OCT 29 - 30 JUN 66 GLANVILLE, JOHN ★ 18 MAR 34 - JUN 66 MEEKER, EDWARD ★ 1 MAR 48 - JUN 68 GLAWSON, GEORGE ★ 18 JAN 50 - 1 JUN 71 HANSON, ROBERT ★ 6 AUG 48 - 1 JUN 68 RAMSEY, STEVEN ★ 29 OCT 43 - 1 JUN 68 STALEVICZ, GREGORY ★ 25 MAR 49 - 1 JUN 68 WASHINGTON, ALBERT ★ 8 MAR 46 - 1 JUN 69 WOLFE, JOHN ★ 11 DEC 47 - 1 JUN 68 BROWN, GERALD ★ 2 JUL 47 - 2 JUN 68 CREWS, JOHN ★ 26 MAR 42 - 2 JUN 68 LUTZ, WERNER ★ 16 AUG 38 - 2 JUN 65 RENZ, RAYMOND ★ 22 NOV 46 - 2 JUN 67 BONINE, THOMAS ★ 13 FEB 48 - 3 JUN 69 KIERNAN, JOSEPH ★ 19 MAY 27 - 3 JUN 67 SCHULTZ, CHARLES ★ 30 SEP 44 - 3 JUN 67 SZAWALUK, NICKOLAS ★ 5 SEP 47 - 3 JUN 68 TURNER, PRESTON ★ 15 FEB 48 - 3 JUN 67 WILLIAMS, ALLEN ★ 2 NOV 43 - 3 JUN 68 DORN, PHILIP ★ 23 APR 45 - 4 JUN 66 TEBAULT, BENJAMIN ★ 4 DEC 42 - 4 JUN 72 TORRES, ARCADIO ★ 27 MAY 28 - 4 JUN 70 BACON, PAUL ★ 24 JAN 50 - 5 JUN 72 KLEIN, JOSEPH ★ 18 FEB 49 - 5 JUN 68 WIGGINS, ALFRED ★ 5 MAY 51 - 5 JUN 70 BENN, WILLIAM ★ 4 JUN 47 - 6 JUN 69 BOYD, SAMUEL ★ 28 JUL 44 - 6 JUN 68 BRANCH, WILLIAM ★ 11 JUL 41 - 6 JUN 70 CALLAHAN, MICHAEL ★ 11 APR 48 - 6 JUN 69 CYRAN, RICHARD ★ 17 FEB 49 - 6 JUN 69 GUNSTER, DAVID ★ 5 AUG 26 - 6 JUN 68 SCHAUBLE, KENNETH ★ 23 OCT 47 - 6 JUN 68 SHEPPARD, LONNIE ★ 29 SEP 48 - 6 JUN 68 SIMMONS, WILLIAM ★ 6 JAN 46 - 6 JUN 68 VALLECILLO, EDGAR ★ 20 MAR 48 - 6 JUN 67 ARRIBI, DONALD ★ 11 JUN 48 - 7 JUN 69 BASHAW, DAVID ★ 11 MAR 48 - 7 JUN 66 BOWEN, LARRY ★ 30 JAN 51 - 7 JUN 69 CORCORAN, RICHARD ★ 21 AUG 38 - 7 JUN 68 ESPY, JOHNNIE ★ 14 MAR 47 - 7 JUN 68 IASELLO, DENNIS ★ 23 JUL 48 - 7 JUN 69 KALIVAS, JOHN ★ 7 JAN 48 - 7 JUN 69 SHELLEY, GREGORY ★ 15 OCT 47 - 7 JUN 68 BARKER, JEFFREY ★ 1 OCT 46 - 8 JUN 67 MOURITZEN, DONALD ★ 26 JUN 46 - 8 JUN 67 YOHN, THOMAS ★ 29 JAN 47 - 8 JUN 66 OLESON, JOSEPH ★ 17 APR 43 - 9 JUN 68 PIZZI, CHARLES ★ 10 JUL 42 - 9 JUN 65 BUCZYNSKI, GREGORY ★ 21 DEC 45 - 10 JUN 66 COPPEDGE, LAWRENCE ★ 10 DEC 48 - 10 JUN 69 PONTO, AUGUSTUS ★ 29 SEP 45 - 10 JUN 67 FOLEY, JOHN ★ 11 JUN 47 - 11 JUN 67 FRAMBES, JOHN ★ 24 APR 47 - 11 JUN 67 MILLS, KARL ★ 8 OCT 45 - 11 JUN 69 REYNOLDS, ROBERT ★ 7 JAN 48 - 11 JUN 67 SEKVA, ROBERT ★ 1 JAN 48 - 11 JUN 69 ZAMORSKI, GLENN ★ 5 OCT 42 - 11 JUN 68 ZYCK, FRED ★ 1 FEB 48 - 11 JUN 69 JENKINS, CLIFFORD ★ 12 SEP 45 - 12 JUN 68 LEWIS, BENJAMIN ★ 17 NOV 42 - 12 JUN 69 RAAB, JAMES ★ 12 JAN 43 - 12 JUN 68 ANDUJAR, CHARLES ★ 3 JUL 34 - 13 JUN 69 CHRISTIE, DONALD ★ 20 AUG 48 - 13 JUN 69 DUTCHES, WILLIAM ★ 16 APR 45 - 14 JUN 66 ELLISON, JASPER ★ 31 MAY 49 - 14 JUN 68 TUFTS, ROBERT ★ 22 DEC 42 - 14 JUN 69 CRANE, DENNIS ★ 20 SEP 47 - 15 JUN 68 FANNING, EDWARD ★ 23 APR 48 - 15 JUN 69 MADDEN, FRANCIS ★ 25 JUL 32 - 15 JUN 69 MCCLOSKEY, ROBERT ★ 1 MAR 49 - 15 JUN 68 TAMAGNINI, JOSEPH ★ 10 JUL 46 - 15 JUN 68 THIBAULT, JEFFERY ★ 15 JUL 49 - 15 JUN 68 WICKLINE, DONALD ★ 6 JUN 46 - 15 JUN 69 GRAY, ROBERT ★ 12 MAY 48 - 16 JUN 70 LYONS, FRANK ★ 26 DEC 26 - 16 JUN 66 PACKER, JOSEPH ★ 13 JUL 45 - 16 JUN 66 RUTH, DENNIS ★ 9 DEC 46 - 17 JUN 67 SIEGWARTH, DONALD ★ 28 JUN 41 - 17 JUN 66 STEVENSON, CLEMENT ★ 11 MAR 42 - 17 JUN 66 WATSON, MARVIN ★ 17 MAY 49 - 17 JUN 69 BALL, ROBERT ★ 29 NOV 49 - 18 JUN 68 MATHEWS, JAMES ★ 2 NOV 45 - 18 JUN 68 RHODES, WILLIE ★ 20 SEP 47 - 19 JUN 67 SLOMIANY, KAZIMIERZ ★ 25 FEB 45 - 19 JUN 67 MCDONOUGH, JOHN ★ 10 MAY 39 - 20 JUN 66 SCHWEYHER, JOHN ★ 9 DEC 47 - 20 JUN 67 BARTON, JAMES ★ 8 AUG 50 - 21 JUN 69 DOUGHERTY, ROBERT ★ 7 AUG 47 - 21 JUN 67 BEZEGA, MICHAEL ★ 9 JUL 48 - 22 JUN 70 ENGLE, RUSSEL ★ 4 OCT 46 - 22 JUN 67 HOOPER, VINS ★ 6 JUL 46 - 22 JUN 67 LYONS, GEORGE ★ 29 DEC 50 - 22 JUN 69 MURPHY, TIMOTHY ★ 23 JUL 47 - 22 JUN 67 PARMERTER, MICHAEL ★ 30 JUL 44 - 22 JUN 69 POOR, GEORGE ★ 26 OCT 47 - 22 JUN 67 STEIDLER, JOHNSON ★ 21 OCT 47 - 22 JUN 67 CHAPMAN, SHERMAN ★ 9 AUG 29 - 23 JUN 66 GILCHRIST, RICKY ★ 2 JAN 50 - 23 JUN 71 MCWILLIAMS, GEORGE ★ 25 NOV 44 - 23 JUN 66 DE SIMONE, ALFRED ★ 27 JUL 49 - 24 JUN 69 SANTIAGO, LUIS ★ 8 FEB 48 - 24 JUN 66 IHNAT, MICHAEL ★ 29 APR 43 - 25 JUN 65 MONGILARDI, PETER ★ 1 JUL 25 - 25 JUN 65 CORREA, ANGEL ★ 12 MAR 47 - 26 JUN 67 DE LUCA, RAYMOND ★ 12 FEB 48 - 27 JUN 68 DICESARE, ANTHONY ★ 30 NOV 44 - 27 JUN 67 KEEN, ARTHUR ★ 1 AUG 46 - 27 JUN 66 PAQUIN, PAUL ★ 3 MAY 49 - 27 JUN 70 ROBERTSON, DAVID ★ 19 DEC 45 - 27 JUN 68 LENZSCH, ROLF ★ 25 DEC 35 - 28 JUN 67 RISOLDI, VINCENT ★ 5 JAN 47 - 28 JUN 65 FELDER, JESSE ★ 17 MAR 43 - 29 JUN 66 WILKINS, BOBBY ★ 11 JUN 45 - 29 JUN 69 MORGAN, JOHN ★ 8 OCT 29 - 30 JUN 66

Peter Ruzila - Private First Class (PFC)

Hometown:
Paramus
D.O.B.:
August 18, 1941
County:
Bergen
Rank:
Private First Class (PFC)
Branch:
Army
Date of Casualty:

November 1, 1965

Casualty Status:
Killed In Action
Country of Incident:
South Vietnam

Peter Ruzila, Jr. was born on August 18, 1941. He graduated from Admiral Farragut Naval Academy in 1958. He participated in high school track and was the manager of the football team. He then attended Bryant College and graduated in 1962 with a degree in business administration.

He resided in Paramus, NJ, prior to serving in the US Army, 1st Infantry Division. He attained the rank of Private First Class (PFC).

On November 1, 1965, while leading a convoy of trucks in South Vietnam, Peter was killed in action when his truck hit a land mine. He had been in Vietnam 17 days.

Ruzila was awarded the Purple Heart, the Military Merit Medal and the Gallantry Cross with Palms awarded by the Government of South Vietnam.

Born on August 18, 1941, Peter Ruzila, Jr. was the first of four children born to Peter and Mary Pleska Ruzila of Passaic, NJ. He attended East Paterson, NJ, (now Elmwood Park) elementary schools. Peter spent his four high school years at Admiral Farragut Naval Academy in Pine Beach, NJ, from which he graduated in 1958. While at Admiral Farragut, Peter was actively involved in a variety of scholastic and sports activities, including track and manager of the football team.

Peter chose to attend Bryant College in Providence, Rhode Island, from which he graduated in 1962, with a BS degree in Business Administration. He was a chaplain in Kappa Tau Fraternity. It had been Peter’s dream to become part of the family business, Ruzila’s Express, an interstate trucking company, founded by his father. His father began the business with a horse and wagon several decades before. As a small child, Peter’s father would take his son “to see the trucks….” It was no wonder that because of Peter’s familiarity with trucks, the Army decided to use young PFC Peter Ruzila, Jr. as a truck driver.

On November 1, 1965, while leading a convoy of trucks in South Vietnam, Peter’s truck hit a land mine and he was killed instantly after being in Vietnam only seventeen days. Meanwhile, back home in Paramus, NJ, the doorbell would ring in the wee hours of the morning to be answered by Peter’s “baby sister” Mary who was presented with the telegram that no family should ever receive. It was not without irony that the telegram was delivered by the Comfort Cab Company.

Peter’s body would lie in state in his parish church, Christ the Savior Orthodox Church, in Paramus, NJ. Some of the highest-ranking clergy of the Orthodox Church in America, including its primate His Beatitude Metropolitan Archbishop Ireney took part in the several days of Orthodox burial services. He was laid to rest with full military honors and the ancient rites of the Orthodox Church.

Having made the supreme sacrifice, Peter’s hometown planted a tree in his memory and named a bridge after him. The family established the Peter Ruzila, Jr. Memorial Scholarship at St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Cemetery. The Orthodox section of the George Washington Cemetery in Paramus was named in his memory. The Garfield Little League established the Peter Ruzila, Jr. Trophy. His college fraternity named their annual initiative award in his memory.

A “grateful nation” posthumously awarded Peter the Purple Heart while the government of South Vietnam awarded him their two highest medals: The Military Merit Medal and The Gallantry Cross with Palms. Peter’s parents did not live to see his name on “The Wall” having both died not many years later with breaking hearts over the loss of their son.

If any good has come out of Peter Ruzila, Jr.’s death it is that as a direct result of this most terrible tragedy, I would meet his sister Evelyn. We would be married less than two years later and our first child, Laura, would be born on her Uncle Peter’s birthday of August 18th. May Peter Ruzila, Jr.’s memory be eternal.

Written by The Very Reverend Thomas Clarke Edwards, Brother-in-Law

The following is an excerpt from The Record about Pfc. Peter Ruzila Jr. dated Monday, January 29, 2973:

The 1st Infantry Division landed in force on the southeastern coast of Vietnam in October 1965, and waited, under steady Communist barrage, to push inland.

Pfc. Peter Ruzila, 24, son of Mr. and Mrs. Peter Ruzila, was among infantrymen awaiting their first combat.

Two weeks after the landing, Pfc. Ruzila was killed when a truck he was driving along the beach ran over a Viet Cong land mine.

Sources: The Very Reverend Thomas Clarke Edwards (brother-in-law), The Record, and NJVVMF.
12/17/2024

Other Heros From Paramus

Mills, Karl - Captain

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Kerbl, Frank - Captain

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Henry, John - Sergeant

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