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the orland park prairie | August 8, 2019 | 7
for one of World War II’s ‘Frogmen’
he said. “We swam a lot,
made reconnaissance and
handled a lot of explosives.
We swam into beaches and
eliminated a bunch of obstacles.”
The UDT teams led the
way as the first United
States troops in new territory,
clearing the path for
the Marines who followed,
Barkowski said. Dubbed
“Frogmen,” UDTs wore
only a swimsuit, face mask
and flippers, and would
eventually become what
we know as the Navy
SEALs today.
“We looked like frogs,
with fins on our feet and
face masks on our face,”
he said. “We had a safety
belt. We had an underwater
slate; we could write
down whatever we found
on our reconnaissance.
We’d put down the depths
of water, currents, obstacles
that you came across.
There might be a hedgehog,
which would be like
a rocky mountain coming
out of the ocean, and you
plotted all those things
down, and then you’d turn
it all in to the commanding
officer, and then they’d
prepare for the invasion.”
When the war came to
an end with the atomic
bombs dropped on Hiroshima
and Nagasaki in
1945, Barkowski was on
board the USS Balduck on
the way to Japan. The ship
received the orders to turn
around and dump all of the
explosives they had into
the ocean, Mackanin said.
For the last leg of his
military career after the
war’s end, Barkowski was
sent to Alaska for four
months, where he was
tasked with bringing a base
back to Navy regulations,
Mackanin said. On June 6,
“He is so humble. He was never
looking for praise. The only
reason why I found out he
was in the service was because
his doctor told me, and his
daughter told his doctor that,
and it just kind of came out.
He’s not looking for any thanks.”
Joe Dwyer — Medtronic employee who interacts
with John Barkowski regularly
1946, Barkowski was sent
back to Great Lakes and
discharged from the Navy.
Post-war life of success,
family
After Barkowski left the
Navy in 1946, he enrolled
in college to study civil
engineer using the GI Bill.
He began his education
at Wilson Junior College
and transferred to Kalamazoo
and again to Bradley,
where he graduated in
1951.
After graduation, he
embarked on a successful
career, working for Chicago’s
highway department
and playing a role in
several notable construction
projects, such as the
city’s McCormick Place,
Gniadecki said.
In the 1950s, he took a
position as the layout engineer
for the archdiocese
at the Queen of Heaven
Catholic Cemetery in Hillside,
designing, surveying
and laying out Catholic
cemeteries. In fact, he
was tasked with plotting
the space for nearly 100
children, along with two
nuns, who perished in the
Our Lady of Angels fire in
1958.
It was while working
there that he met his future
wife, Mary, in 1955.
“She was the receptionist
at Queen of Heaven,”
he said. “Every time I
called the cemetery, I had
to go through her,”
After six months of dating,
they married on Oct.
15, 1955. Although the
marriage did not last, the
couple had seven children
and raised them in Oak
Park until 1966, when they
moved to the South Side of
Chicago.
“You can tell he was
a very good father; he’s
always talking about his
kids,” said Joe Dwyer,
noting he met all seven of
Barkowski’s children over
the past 15 years of caring
for him. “Just a good family
man, just a great guy.”
Dwyer works for
Medtronic, the company
that made Barkowski’s
pacemaker, and he regularly
consults with Barkowski
and his doctor.
On Jan. 5, 1988, Barkowski
retired. A single
man, he enjoyed his retire-
Now 93, Barkowski is regularly seen sporting one of four U.S. Navy-themed hats
at Evergreen Senior Living in Orland Park, where he lives. Barkowski is one of two
remaining Underwater Demolition Team 23 Navy veterans.
Amanda Del Buono/22nd Century Media
ment in a cabin in Ojibwa,
Wisconsin, now affectionately
called “The Chip” by
the family.
“He had many years of
happy retirement in Ojibwa,
Wisconsin,” Mackanin
said.
Barkowski spent his retirement
enjoying nature
and being active in his local
church, his daughters said.
“He loved the smalltown
atmosphere,”
Gniadecki said “He liked
people who were kind of
unattached to things. He
was involved in local parishes
in Wisconsin and
Florida. He was involved
with the Knights of Columbus
out in Oak Park
when he was there, and the
Holy Name Society. … He
loved to lead rosary groups
at churches. … He just really
enjoyed the serenity
and the local people.”
He stayed at “The Chip”
during the summer and
traveled to Florida during
the winter until around
2010. Then, he moved in
with Gniadecki, where he
lived until he moved to
Evergreen Senior Living
two years ago.
To this day, Barkowski
is humble about his eventful
life. A devout Catholic,
he did what was necessary
at the time and tried to live
a faithful life, his daughters
said.
“He has a tremendous
devotion to the Blessed
Mother,” Gniadecki said.
Dwyer said that through
many conversations, he has
grown to know Barkowski
quite well. Dwyer, who
holds Barkowski in high
esteem, noted Barkowski’s
nonchalance about his service
and himself.
“He is so humble,” Dwyer
said. “He was never
looking for praise. The
only reason why I found
out he was in the service
was because his doctor
told me, and his daughter
told his doctor that, and
it just kind of came out.
He’s not looking for any
thanks.”