Today we honor PFC Peter Steven Tyrka of Berwyn, Illinois, who gave his life on this day in 1968. His friend John shares this memory:


 I remember Pete as a tough, adventurous 12-year-old who took me, an 11-year-old new kid, under his wing at the Berwyn news agency back in 1962. After finishing our paper routes, we’d hang out together, stopping at the bakery for sweet rolls or heading to the White Castle on Ogden for sliders.


We weren’t very close in high school, but we often saw each other in the halls and said hello. He was still that same rough and ready kind of guy, so it didn’t surprise me when he joined the Marines. I still remember the day one of the other former paper boys told me Pete had been killed.


When I visit the wall, it’s always him I think about first, even though I know others, some I knew even better. Pete was not just a name carved into a wall—he had a face, a story, a family, and friends who cared about him.


I remember him, and I will never forget.

Rest in peace, Pete. He is laid to rest at St. Adalbert Catholic Cemetery in Niles, Illinois... Continue reading 

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