The Family of John Rogalski

Dad led sons unto the breach

Band of seven brothers served in three wars

By: Chris Vetter -

Chippewa Falls News Bureau

THORP — When John Rogalski Sr. told his sons about his experience in World War I, the seven boys listened.

"My dad told us his war stories and we saw his uniform, and he was proud of his service," Richard Rogalski, 72, said. "He always made us proud of our country, and serving in the military was part of our obligation."

John Rogalski Sr. was stationed in France, earning a civil star and a Purple Heart certificate. His sons decided they wanted to follow in his footsteps.

So, one by one, all seven Rogalski boys — Stanley, Chester, John, Richard, Donald, Fred and Robert — left the family dairy farm near Thorp and went off to the service. Their military careers, collectively, stretch from World War II through the Vietnam War.

"We all had to take turns, to keep the farm running," said Donald Rogalski, 71. "We could have deferred if we wanted to, but we all volunteered to go."

Along with the seven boys, Evelyn and John Rogalski Sr. had five girls. Jobs were scarce when they were young, the boys said.

"My dad said, ‘Go to the service or go to school,’" Donald Rogalski said. "You learn something and see the world."

It was not uncommon for two of the boys to be in the service at the same time — Stanley and Chester served together, as did Richard and John. For a short time, Richard, Donald and Fred were enlisted together. But they never were in the same place during their service.

"There’s plenty of people that say that’s pretty unusual, for a whole family (to join the military)," John Rogalski said. "I felt proud I was doing something for my country."

John Rogalski, 74, now lives in Crystal Falls, Mich. He joined the Marines.

"I enlisted in 1953, and I got out in 1956," John Rogalski said. "I spent 24, 25 months over in Korea. I re-upped, and I made sergeant."

The most difficult part of being overseas was the long stretches of getting no communication from home, John Rogalski said.

 

"You wouldn’t get a letter," he said. "I’d be getting a birthday card from my mother two months later."

Richard Rogalski, 72, joined the Air Force in 1951. While his other brothers had short military stints, Richard stayed for 20 years, retiring in 1972.

"I enjoyed it," Richard Rogalski said. "It was a good experience. I was proud to be in service."

During the Korean War, Richard Rogalski was stationed in England, where he refueled aircraft. After the war, he was stationed in Nevada. He now is retired and living in Tucson, Ariz.

"All of us boys pushed and did a good job," Richard Rogalski said. "We weren’t afraid of work, because our dad taught us that."

Fred Rogalski, 67, said his four-year stint was during peacetime in the 1950s, but he still felt the desire to enlist.

"I would have felt left out," Fred Rogalski said. "I wanted to do my duty. We always felt there should be two of us supporting the farm, and the others could go into the service."

When one boy came home, another boy went and enlisted, Fred Rogalski said.

"It was taking turns, so to speak," Fred Rogalski said.

Robert Rogalski, 60, is the youngest of the seven brothers.

"I listened to all (my brothers’) stories, about places they went, and things they’d done, and I was yearning to try it," Robert Rogalski said. "I wanted to get training and schooling and travel. You have to get off the farm sometime. You want to get out and experience things."

Robert Rogalski said that his father’s life and stories definitely made every one want to join the service.

"He was quite a military man, and he retained that all his life," Robert Rogalski said. "He was kind of a hero, in the small town of Thorp."

At the time, Robert Rogalski said he didn’t think anything of it that all the brothers

had been in the military, but he now realizes that it’s unusual.

Donald Rogalski said joining the service made him a better person.

"I don’t regret it a bit," Donald Rogalski said. "The best part was meeting all the people. The service taught me to be independent, to make my own decisions."

Vetter can be reached at 723-0303 orchris.vetter@ecpc.com.

Donald Rogalski of Thorp, WI looked at a WW I helmet and gas mask that belonged to his father, John Rogalski, Sr. 

Don and his six brothers all served in the military.

Brothers in Arms

 Thorp, Clark County, Wisconsin

Right to Left: Fred, Robert, Richard, Donald & John Rogalski

		Stanley Rogalski, served in WW II.  He joined the service in 1939 and for a while was bodyguard to Gen. Dwight Eisenhower.  He later was stationed in Hawaii.
		Chester Rogalski, was a resident of Thorp.  He was stationed in Okinawa during WW II.  He saw combat in Japan at the end of the war.
		John Rogalski, Jr., was a resident of Crystal Falls, Michigan.  He joined the Marines and served from 1953 to 1956, including two years in Korea.
		Richard Rogalski, resided in Tucson, AZ.  He joined the Air Force in 1951 and stayed in the service until 1972.  He fueled airplanes in England during the Korean War and later helped open a major pipeline in the Phillipines.
		Donald Rogalski, a resident of Thorp, WI, joined the Marines in 1956 and left in 1958.  He was a prison guard at the base in California and did not go over seas.
		Fred Rogalski, a resident of Kenosha, WI, joined the Air Force in 1955.  He was stationed for three years in Florida and one year in Iceland before his discharge in 1959.
		Robert Rogalski, a resident of Stevens Pt., WI, joined the Navy in 1962 and worked on aircraft hydraulics.  He was stationed in Italy during the Vietnam War and was discharged in 1966.