5/27/2004

Kerry Invites Band of Brothers/Retired Carrier to WW II Memorial Dedication

The pain from having both knees replaced, and the trepidation of having to navigate around 800,000 people, was going to prevent Joe Lesniewski from making it to Saturday's National World War II Memorial dedication in Washington, D.C.

But now — thanks to an exclusive invitation from U.S. Sen. John Kerry — the 83-year-old decorated war hero from Harborcreek Township will attend the festivities in style.

The presumptive Democratic nominee for president picked Lesniewski, one of the original "Band of Brothers," to be his only permitted guest at the official opening of the memorial. Each senator can invite one guest.

"An invitation like this comes only once in a lifetime," said Lesniewski, one of 18 living paratroopers from the original 147 members from the Easy Company of the 101st Airborne Division that jumped into enemy territory during the D-Day invasion on June 6, 1944.

Lesniewski and the rest of Easy Company were immortalized in Stephen Ambrose's 1992 book "Band of Brothers" and in a critically acclaimed HBO miniseries of the same name.
"When I got the telephone call, I was so surprised and stunned that I held the phone in my hand and said nothing," Lesniewski said. "The person on the other end of the line kept saying, 'Joe? Are you there, Joe? Are you there?' Finally I came to my senses and started talking again.

Kerry and Lesniewski, both combat veterans, met for the first time on May 10 during Kerry's visit to Erie.

"There were about 18 of us veterans who met him for a few minutes at the airport," Lesniewski said. "When Kerry got to me, I told him my name, and that I was in the Band of Brothers. I could tell from his reaction that he was very impressed."

In a statement released by the Kerry campaign, spokesperson Allison Dobson said "John Kerry's jaw dropped" when he met Lesniewski. Kerry's father served in World War II.

Lesniewski, a longtime Democrat and supporter of Kerry, also was quoted in the release as saying he believed "George Bush is messing things up with this war, the economy and with America's veterans." Pennsylvania is a crucial swing state in the Nov. 2 general election.

More than 800,000 people are expected to attend some portion of the four-day Memorial Day weekend festivities surrounding the dedication. Ticketed seating has been set aside for about 200,000 veterans and their relatives.

"With the crowds they'll be getting, and all the walking that would have been involved, my legs wouldn't have been able to take it," Lesniewski said. "But now, with the special treatment I'll be getting, I've been told it will be OK."

Lesniewski said a car, arranged by the Kerry campaign, would pick him up Friday morning at his Harborcreek home and take him to Erie International Airport. He'll then fly to Washington, D.C., and be driven by limousine to his hotel.

"I haven't seen what the memorial looks like yet, but I've heard it's really beautiful," he said. "I'll judge that for myself, and take plenty of pictures to bring back to my wife and friends."

Phyllis Lesniewski, his wife, will not attend the dedication. The 73-year-old is still recovering from injuries she suffered in an automobile accident in 2003.

Joe Lesniewski earned numerous medals for his service in World War II, including the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star. He said the national monument was "a long time coming."

"We should have had a memorial like this built 40 or 50 years ago so the millions of men who have been dying off all these years could have seen it before they went," he said.

"I know politics and money and timing play a part in just about everything, so I'm happy that this memorial is finally here," Lesniewski said. "It's a moment I can't wait to be a part of."

Source: GoErie.com