Tony J. Bezouska
Bio
Tony J. Bezouska was born on December 17, 1931 in Chicago, Illinois. After high school, he and his twin brother, Tom, enlisted in the United States Army’s 187th Airborne Infantry Regiment, known as the “Rakkasan’s. After eleven months as infantryman, the twin brothers joined a medical company which take them further from the front. However, fierce battles required more medics at the front. Both brothers served along the front and share stories about saving the lives of many comrades. He was on the front lines before the Armistice when the fighting intensified. While saving wounded soldiers, he was struck by artillery shrapnel. Memories of war led to PTSD and made transitioning back to civilian life challenging. Tony J. Bezouska overcame his war experience with humor and is proud of what Korea became.
Video Clips
Fear of Losing a Brother (Graphic)
Tony Bezouska shares the unique experience serving in the same company as his twin brother. During one specific battle, he is sent to assist the wounded on the other side of the control point because the medic is believed dead. That medic was his brother. He remembers finding his brother alive amid the chaos.
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Medical Success Story (Graphic)
Tony Bezouska recounts the graphic state of one soldier who was severely wounded and bleeding profusely. He recalls performing a tracheotomy on him and supplying multiple limbs with blood. Since it took two people to tend to the soldiers wounds, the brothers feel that the initial shelling incident, which brought them together on the battlefield, was the reason the soldier survived. He notes that humor helped them make it through these experiences. In 1996 the soldier they saved contacted them. He feels this particular soldier was one of their success stories.
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Jobs as Medics
Tony Bezouska explains why medics carried little to no identification while serving out on the front lines. He shares how killing a medic would demoralize the unit. Because of this, medics only carried their Geneva Convention Cards for identification. In order to do their jobs, medics needed weapons that allowed them to react quickly. For this reason, he explains that medics were given a M2 automatic carbine and a .45 pistol.
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Never Finding that Comfort Zone
Tony Bezouska describes returning home and dealing with PTSD. Even while dealing with these symptoms, he never missed a day at work and managed his new family. He recalls waking from dreams and shares that he turned to alcohol to ease his mind. He notes that now we know more about PTSD and at that time they did not realize anything was wrong with them.
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Thrill of Jumping
Tony Bezouska reminisces about the thrill and freedom you find jumping from airplanes with the airborne division. He recalls the panic and fear involved but elaborates on the natural high you get from the experience.
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