Photo by John D. Woodward, Jr.

Voices & Opinion

POV: Remembering Charlie Pohonich

This Memorial Day, take a minute to honor a soldier who gave his life during World War II

On Memorial Day, I remember a soldier who died years before I was born, but who my mother never forgot.

As mom celebrated her 90th birthday, there was much to celebrate. She was in surprisingly good physical health. She needed a cane to help her walk, but on Friday nights, when she made her way to the bingo hall, she excitedly picked up her pace, even as she ascended the stairs to the entrance.

But as she aged long-term, her short-term memory declined, as she displayed the classic symptoms of dementia. With the help of dedicated caregivers, mom lived in her home independently until she passed on August 4, 2019.

Realizing her mental decline and knowing that one doesn’t get cured of dementia, I made more visits from Boston to Charleroi, a small “rust belt” town in southwestern Pennsylvania, to spend long weekends with her.

Visits home were tough, especially as mom’s mental abilities declined.

She loved bingo, primarily for the chance to be out with people in familiar and comfortable surroundings. We developed a ritual when she no longer could drive. On Friday evening bingo nights, I would drive her to the Lock 4 Volunteer Fire Department Hall for bingo, get her settled at her table, thank the bingo staff, depart, and then return to pick her up afterwards.

I would drive her the three miles from her residence to the bingo hall, always taking the same route because we went through the neighborhood where she was born and raised. As soon as we turned onto Conrad Avenue, mom would get excited and start telling me about her childhood neighborhood, where she grew up during the Great Depression and World War II.

“Johnny, that’s where Mr. Petrucci used to have his store. And, at Halloween, he would give so much candy when my sisters and I went trick-or-treating.”

“Here was our old house. Your grandfather loved working in his garden. And he kept chickens too.”

“And here’s where Mr. Melenchen lived. He worked in the steel mill with your grandfather.”

Her recounting never varied and I heard these lines every time I drove her to bingo.

Until one Friday night, after she told me about Mr. Petrucci, my grandfather’s chickens, and Mr. Melenchen, she added, “And that’s where Charlie Pohonich lived.”

And then a long, sad pause. “He died in the war. It was a terrible loss. His parents and sister never got over it. He was such a nice young man.”

My first reaction was not to believe these new lines that had been unexpectedly added to the script, because oftentimes mom got her facts confused because of the dementia.

So, I thought her reference to Charlie Pohonich was well-meaning, but wholly incorrect, garble.

I thought wrong. After I dropped her off at bingo, I did research on the internet.

Charles Pohonich from Charleroi was drafted into the United States Army in 1942. He was 20 years old. Less than two years later, Private First Class Charles Pohonich, assigned to the 158th Infantry Regiment, died fighting the Japanese in New Guinea on May 24, 1944.

I wept for Charlie Pohonich.

PFC Pohonich is buried in the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial, Plot F, Row 10, Grave 40. A simple marble headstone, in the form of a Christian cross, marks his grave in the Philippines.

During my years in US government service, I traveled to Manila many times and made several visits to the cemetery, which occupies 152 beautifully maintained acres. At least Charlie Pohonich rests in a distinguished place of honor, buried alongside 17,000 other comrades who made the supreme sacrifice. 

I thought it sad that none of his family ever got the opportunity to visit his grave as it is in a far-off land. I felt bad that I hadn’t known he was buried in the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial, as I would have paid a graveside visit to offer my respects when I traveled there.

Whether through fortune or fate, I was able to honor him. I reached out to Michael, my close friend from our time in government service together. In fact, Michael, a former US Army Ranger, and I had visited that cemetery several times together years ago. Michael, who now lives in Hawaii, happened to be making a trip to Manila.

I explained what I had learned. Michael understood what needed to be done. While in Manila, he scheduled a visit and went to the grave, said a prayer, and honored Charlie Pohonich’s sacrifice for all of us. 

Please take a moment and think of Charlie Pohonich this Memorial Day.

John D. Woodward, Jr., is a professor of the practice of international relations at the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies. A US Army veteran, he is director of BU’s Division of Military Education, overseeing ROTC activities. He is a former officer with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). He can be reached at jdwjr@bu.edu. 

“POV” is an opinion page that provides timely commentaries from students, faculty, and staff on a variety of issues: on-campus, local, state, national, or international. Anyone interested in submitting a piece, which should be about 700 words long, should contact John O’Rourke at orourkej@bu.edu. BU Today reserves the right to reject or edit submissions. The views expressed are solely those of the author and are not intended to represent the views of Boston University.