A 99-year-old WW II veteran was recently honored at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 5350 in Westhampton Beach. Chester Moscicki was presented with a special ribbon as others honored him for his service during the war. Chester was a tail gunner on a B-29 and flew 35 missions over Japan. He was wounded and crash landed on the island of Tinian. Chester was honored for shooting down a Japanese plane and received numerous awards from the Army Air Corp and France. After the war, Chester joined the FDNY in 1946 and retired as the Captain of Engine 241. As a member of the FDNY, Chester Moscicki received a Class III medal and a several citations for heroic actions. On hand to honor Chester were members of the VFW and members of the FDNY. A thank you to Colonel Sam Volkman of the Army Corps of Engineers; Colonel Terry Holliday of the NYC Department of Veterans Services; Lt. Colonel Paul Tanghe, professor of Military Science at Fordham University; and FDNY Deputy Assistant Chiefs Joseph Ferrante, Kevin Brennan and Battalion Chief Thomas Martin (ret.) for making presentations at the ceremony. Thank you also to Bill Hayes of VFW Post 12033; Lynda M. Thomson, FDNY Community Coordinator; and the Suffolk County Police Department Aviation Unit for making this day special for Chester Moscicki.
– Fire News photos by John Neely
