Though local World War II veteran Archie Moczygemba has seen his fair share of action over the course of his 98 years, lately things in his life have gone into overdrive.
Since last August, Moczygemba, who is also a veteran of the Korean War and a retired employee of the Texas Department of Public Safety, has been featured twice by Austin news station KVUE, made the cover of the Austin American-Statesman, and was featured in the Taylor Press for its Veterans Day issues.
“I have had a lot of publicity from (the news stories),” said Moczygemba, who served in the 2nd Marine Division as part of the occupation force assigned to Nagasaki, Japan, as well with as the Army. “I was contacted by people I had completely forgotten about that I had worked with.”
“I told him he had to wait 98 years to get famous,” joked son Bill Moczygemba, who is also a veteran, on a recent afternoon. “I think he kind of enjoyed all of the notoriety,” his son added.
But the elder Moczygemba thinks his newfound fame is a bit unwarranted.
“It’s good that people still remember World War II,” Moczygemba said. “That’s one of the good things of it. Outside of that, for me personally, yes, I appreciate it, but I don’t feel that I am the one that deserves it. The people that sacrificed their lives deserve it a lot more than I do. They are the ones that put us where we are. I just happen to be a lucky bystander.”
Nonetheless, Moczygemba has also been invited to share his story with a researcher from the National World War II Museum in New Orleans.
Ryan Bourgeouis, who travels the country interviewing veterans to include in the museum’s oral-history collection, said he plans to visit Moczygemba after the new year.
“It’s important (their stories) be preserved for posterity and to provide a firsthand account of the war to future generations,” Bourgeouis said.
Not to mention the fact the veteran was recently featured in an exhibit at the Polish Heritage Center in Panna Maria.
“We took him there about three or four months ago,” said his son. “And my wife told them we were coming. They don’t have a lot of people around there that are 98 years old and can tell them things. We got there and spent an hour and a half, or two hours, and we barely made it past the front desk. They were recording it on their iPhone and taking notes. He didn’t get to see much of the museum.”
The older Moczygemba, a second-generation Polish-American who grew up speaking Polish and Spanish as his first languages, was born in Kosciusko in 1924, not too far from the museum’s location.
What’s more, Moczygemba was invited to return to Washington, D.C., this month with a small group of World War II veterans through the organization Honor Flight Austin, just two months after the local nonprofit sent him there on an all-expensespaid trip to visit the war memorials, including the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery.
Moczygemba declined the offer of the second trip, during which the honorees went to the White House and met President Joe Biden, but he was happy to be a part of the first Honor Flight in September, he said.
“It was great,” Moczygemba said. “What was wonderful, as far as I was concerned, was that I was the lead sled dog because I was the oldest one there and I had served in two branches of the military.”
Though Moczygemba appreciates all the attention, he thinks the focus should be more on what people went through during the global conflict against the Axis powers.
“I hope they have an appreciation of what the people went through during World War II,” he said. “It was a sacrifice to the families more than I would say to the individuals, especially in my case.”
