Original WW2 Band of Brothers vet wants Bush out.

‘Easy Company’ Veteran to Accompany Kerry to WWII Memorial Opening


May 26, 2004

For Immediate Release
Washington, DC
Saturday May 29, Joseph Lesniewski, one of the original ‘Band of Brothers’ from the ‘Easy Company’ of the 101st Airborne Division will join presidential candidate John Kerry at the official opening of the WWII memorial.  A member of the ‘Greatest Generation,’ like Kerry’s own father, Lesniewski served the United States in WWII. 

Lesniewski, a decorated war hero, is one of the 18 living paratroopers from original 147 members of Easy Company.  He was trained by the Office of Strategic Studies (OSS) and was part of the heroic and immortalized 506th Regiment depicted in the Stephen Ambrose novel Band of Brothers.  Lesniewski “jumped” into enemy territory on D-Day during the invasion of Normandy, earning numerous medals including the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star.

Speaking about his own generation of soldiers Lesniewski said, “We are more patriotic than anybody ever was.  I was in combat for 235 days- you don’t have to tell me about patriotism.  I believe George Bush is messing things up with this war, the economy and with America’s veterans.”

Kerry and Lesniewski, both combat veterans, met for the first time in May at an airport landing in Erie, PA.  In Pennsylvania and across the country, Veterans for Kerry are working to turn out veterans to vote for John Kerry.  “We have a lot of people here in Pennsylvania that feel the same way as me.  We are working day and night to get John Kerry elected because he is the only candidate with a plan to address the concerns of America’s military families and veterans.” 

John Kerry grew up admiring the fighters of the Greatest Generation. As a boy, he spent time on Maxwell Airforce Base in Montgomery, AL and Camp Cooke in California. After graduating from Yale, Kerry followed in the footsteps of his father, who specialized in test flying planes, and joined the Navy. He served two tours of duty in Vietnam.

Veterans across the country, disappointed with George Bush’s broken promises to take care of America’s military families, are organizing for John Kerry in unprecedented numbers.  They are conducting vet-to-vet phone banks, veteran visibilities and internet operations in forty-five states across the country on behalf of John Kerry for President.



Band of Brothers

Joseph Lesniewski

Joseph Lesniewski, one of the original ‘Band of Brothers’ from the Easy company, the 101st Airborne Division will accompany John Kerry to the opening of the World War II Memorial.  Lesniewski, a member of the Airborne, was part of Company E a group of soldiers who jumped at the invasion of Normandy.

Joseph was born in Erie, Aug. 29, 1920, the son of Polish immigrants: Joseph and Rose Ciechacka Lesniewski. He enlisted in the Army Oct. 17, 1942 and volunteered for the Army Air Force. After training in California, he applied for Cadet school to become a pilot.  "I passed the test and was approved for Cadet School," he said. "I wanted to go to school to fly planes."  The Cadet school lost his paperwork and Joseph, tired of waiting, decided to join the Airborne.  He was trained by the OSS since he knew Polish and was part of the heroic and immortalized 506th Regiment depicted in Stephen Ambrose’s Band of Brothers.  Joseph was part of a “jump” into enemy territory on D-Day, during the invasion of Normandy.

For his bravery in WWII, Lesniewski was presented medals including the Combat Infantryman’s Badge, the Combat Parachutists Badge with two stars, the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart with an oak leaf cluster (multiple wounds), the U.S. Army Good Conduct Medal, the European Campaign Medal with four stars and the invasion arrow, the American Campaign Medal, the Medal of Occupation with Germany clasp, the World War II Victory Medal, the Netherlands Orange Lanyard, the Belgian Fourragerrie and the World War II lapel pin.

He first met with John Kerry at an airport greet in Eerie, PA on May 10, 2004. According to the other veterans on site, ‘John Kerry’s jaw dropped’ when he met Joseph.  He became part of PA Veterans for Kerry through his VFW Post 470 in Erie, PA.

the Kerry Campaign!

:kick:

:bounce:

3-4 weeks.

Easy Company truly was an impressive group. This is a great endorsement for Kerry.

who are willing to get $$$ to come out against Kerry.

Probably the majority of them are for Kerry, just not vocal.

:grr:

A great book, and a pretty good mini-series. I'd heartily recommend the book to anyone remotely interested in WWII. It follows the exploits of a single company from basic training through the end of WWII. That unit happened to be in the thick of D-day, Market-Garden, the Battle of the Bulge, and other major actions in Europe.

I'm waiting for the right-wingers to start questioning this guy's patriotism, heroism, or service.

They all wonder WTF is going on with the US Government. It's not what they remember fighting for. One US Navy veteran who served as an officer on a Liberty boat took me to the Detroit Economic Club in September 2003 (IIRC) to hear Kerry speak. I cracked him up when I told him my thoughts about Bushler, "The Little Turd from Crawford." He passed away last month.

Most of my friends and neighbors who are WW2 vets feel the same way about Bush. The only exception is my father-in-law, who is an investment banker type. I think he believes the TV and likes the tax-cuts. I lent him my copy of "The Outlaw Bank." I can't wait to hear his thoughts on it.

Sad that he had to leave us before we put Kerry in office.

An attorney and editor of a local clean election guide, he was a fixture on the local political scene for more than 40 years. He was like a second dad to my wife and her friends. I got to know him about a decade ago and treasured his friendship.

When I first met him he told me about his service in the South Pacific. His ship was carrying supplies forward when the news of FDR's passing came. He said every man cried -- from the Captain down. As my friend was a lawyer, he was charged with putting together a memorial for the President. After saying a few words, he led the ship's company in "Home On the Range." It still chokes me up.

The poor guy suffered a lot from cancer in his final months. I did cheer him up, though. When my wife and her friends visited him in Hospice, she took along a John Kerry poster. While he was always neutral, his daughters are Big Time Republicans. Seeing Kerry in uniform meant a LOT to him. He had the girls post it where he could see it from his bed.

It's good to hear this stuff.