December 12, 2024
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Joliet veteran reflects on his life and service in World War II

Glenn Masek, 94, is still loving life

By Alex Ortiz

Masek is a veteran of World War II, serving in the Pacific Theater as an artillery mechanic. He was in the Army from 1943 to 1946. He was born in 1924 at what was then St. Joseph Hospital in Joliet but lived in New Lenox, the youngest of three boys. After graduating from Joliet Catholic High School in 1942, he was drafted, right when the country was at war. Masek said his father wasn’t too happy about him getting drafted because his two older brothers already had been drafted by the U.S. Army. But Masek said he was a little more eager to join them. “My dad said, ‘Stay away from that draft board,’ ” Masek said. “ ‘They’ll call you when they want you.’ ” He said he specifically wanted to go into the Army to join his brothers. He was in basic training in Rockford, stationed in Washington state and even made a stop at Pearl Harbor. (Eric Ginnard)

Masek is a veteran of World War II, serving in the Pacific Theater as an artillery mechanic. He was in the Army from 1943 to 1946. He was born in 1924 at what was then St. Joseph Hospital in Joliet but lived in New Lenox, the youngest of three boys. After graduating from Joliet Catholic High School in 1942, he was drafted, right when the country was at war. Masek said his father wasn’t too happy about him getting drafted because his two older brothers already had been drafted by the U.S. Army. But Masek said he was a little more eager to join them. “My dad said, ‘Stay away from that draft board,’ ” Masek said. “ ‘They’ll call you when they want you.’ ” He said he specifically wanted to go into the Army to join his brothers. He was in basic training in Rockford, stationed in Washington state and even made a stop at Pearl Harbor. (Eric Ginnard)

Masek said he had no idea what he was getting himself into, but was eager to see where he’d end up. He eventually was shipped out with the troops in the Pacific Ocean. “It was exciting, all right,” Masek said. On Okinawa Island, he was servicing both the artillery and frontlines, taking men back and forth. The Battle of Okinawa was among the bloodiest periods of the war, with upward of 20,000 U.S. casualties from April through June 1945. When he was on a ship waiting to land on Okinawa, Masek first realized he was in real danger. Some Japanese pilots used their planes in kamikaze suicide attacks. One kamikaze dove at Masek’s ship, but it bounced off the deck. Masek said he remembered thinking, “This is it. I’m not even going to get onto the island.” (Eric Ginnard)

“The outcome could have been a lot worse, a lot different,” said Masek’s son, Terry. Fortunately, Masek made it home. He worked for Texaco in Lockport for more than 30 years. He got married in 1949 and had three sons with his late wife, Helen. He also had three grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. “He was a very involved father,” Terry said. “When I was in Little League, he was an assistant coach. When I was in Boy Scouts, he was a scoutmaster.” Terry remembers his father always having a great sense of humor. He loves that his dad always is making jokes and even entertaining his neighbors at the senior living community. (Eric Ginnard)

His apartment at Solstice is just as lively and patriotic as he is. He has decorations from his favorite team, the Chicago Cubs, and hangs an American flag outside on his third-floor balcony. Terry added that his dad rarely talked about his service, but he said he didn’t think his dad suffered much from it. He thinks it’s more because his father thought it was his duty to serve his country, and added that he never complained about it. “I don’t think there was a lot of glamour, but he did what he had to do,” Terry said. Now, he’s just happy his dad is healthy, keeping busy and still going all these years later. “He’s still enjoying his life,” Terry said. (Eric Ginnard)

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Alex Ortiz

Alex Ortiz

Alex Ortiz is a reporter for The Herald-News in Joliet. Originally from Romeoville, Ill., he joined The Herald-News in 2017 and mostly covers Will County government, politics, education and more. He earned his bachelor's degree at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a master's degree from Northwestern University.