PVT Stanley M. Zajelka
Source: Find a Grave (c/o Erwin Verholen)
Private Stanley Martin Zajelka of the 101st Signal Company, 101st Airborne Division, was born in Duryea, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, to Dominick and Eva L. (Kristopowicz) Zajelka on November 11, 1924. Stanley had two brothers, William and John, and three sisters, Lena, Mary, and Anna Zajelka.
Stanley graduated from Duryea High School in 1942. He registered for the draft at Dupont Community House, Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, on December 29, 1942. At that time, he worked at the local silk mill operated by Bloomburg Mills Inc., overseen by superintendent Mr. Fred Zerm. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, on May 22, 1943, and completed his basic training at Fort George G. Meade, Maryland, and Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
PVT Zajelka participated in the Normandy invasion in June 1944, and Operation Market Garden in the Netherlands was his second combat operation with the 101st Signal Company. On September 17, 1944, he departed from Ramsbury Airfield, England, aboard a CG-4A WACO glider (#42-74356), headed for the landing zone at Son, the Netherlands.
The crew of the glider consisted solely of the pilot. The glider carried six passengers: five troopers from the 101st Signal Company and one British Signal Corps member, CPL Frederick A. Sellers. Several Signal Corpsmen were attached to the 101st Signal Company to improve communication between the American Airborne (participating in Operation Market) and the British ground forces (of Operation Garden).
The glider flew straight across the Channel into Belgium and then headed north of Eindhoven, but it never reached its destination.
While flying over Belgium, during a turn, the cable between the Dakota tow plane and the Waco probably became loose. The shock caused the cargo to shift in the Waco, making the aircraft uncontrollable. Part of the cockpit was torn loose due to the weight shift. The tail section of the glider hit some trees on the edge of a field, then smashed into the ground.
The pilot and the five men of the signal company were instantly killed, but CPL Sellers showed signs of life when local people found him. He was immediately taken to the hospital of St. Amands, where he died shortly afterwards.
Another five Screaming Eagles had soared to the ultimate height. 🦅
Source: Find a Grave (c/o Dominique Potier)
On September 17, 1944, PVT Stanley Zajelka died near Mariekerke, Arrondissement Mechelen, Antwerp, Belgium, at age 19.
He was initially buried in a civilian cemetery in St. Amand, Belgium. On May 13, 1945, his remains were moved to the U.S. Military Cemetery in Neuville-en-Condroz, Belgium, where he was laid to rest at Plot E, Row 11, Grave 267. On November 3, 1948, his body was exhumed for reburial at the same cemetery, now resting eternally at Plot B, Row 39, Grave 43. May he rest in peace.
Happy Birthday in Heaven, Stanley.
Lest we forget. 🇺🇸
Sources:
Family Search
“Vleugels boven Klein-Brabant II” by Erwin Verholen