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• Friday, December 03, 2021

  Past Dept. Vice Commander Gawlik Passes

  

  LYONS – Past Department Vice Commander John Gawlik, 93, of Lyons went to Post Everlasting on Nov. 26. A proud member of The American Legion, he served as Lyons Post commander, as 7th District commander and, according to his obituary, he “traveled to 48 states for Legion national conventions, making numerous friends around the country.”

  He was born in Poland, and at age sixteen, he was taken from his home by the Nazis on Christmas Day. “He managed to survive,” his obit said, “because a Nazi soldier needed help on his family farm and the soldier’s son picked John to be that helper. An American soldier helped bring him to the United States after the fall of the Nazis. John served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, and one of his duties was to guard General Eisenhower’s home, where he was able to get to know Mamie Eisenhower well.”