By the time he turned 18 in 1942, Lawrence Szydlowski had already tried multiple times to enlist in a war that few Americans alive today can remember.
“I wanted to just get in there and help,” the World War II veteran said during his 100th birthday party Friday, thrown for him by the Oak Lawn Veteran Affairs clinic.
Szydlowski got what he asked for, spending two and a half years in Papua New Guinea and the Philippines as an Army quartermaster, providing clothes, food and other supplies to those in combat.
Oak Lawn VA Clinic doctors, nurses and other staff expressed their gratitude for the longtime Burbank resident’s service with a special 100th birthday part. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs reports Szydlowski is one of about 4,300 surviving World War II veterans in Illinois.
Despite his hearing and memory not quite being what they used to, Szydlowski jovially chatted with and accepted handshakes from strangers and family as he enjoyed his celebratory miniature bundt cake.
When asked about his secret to living so long, he said simply “the man upstairs.” Szydlowski still lives in the house he’s owned for 68 years and spends time with his three children, two grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Along with potential divine intervention, the veteran said he believes his consistent positive attitude and spirited nature support his health.
“In the service, they used to call me Smiley,” Szydlowski said after posing in front of the bulletin board for Oak Lawn VA clinic patients who had reached the 100-year mark. “(They’d say) ‘How come you’re always smiling?’ I said, ‘Well, what’s the sense in getting grouchy?’”
“Not that I don’t get grouchy,” he acknowledged, “but I like to laugh and have fun.”
Having grown up poor in Cicero in the midst of the Great Depression, that sentiment hasn’t always been the easy way for Szydlowski. Enlisting in the Army seemed an easy decision once war broke out, as his father served in the previous world war.
In 1946, with Japan having surrendered and the fighting ended, Szydlowski returned to a country that was vastly diffeferent.
He worked as a toolmaker for many years, but once the company closed its doors, he began search of a more fulfilling job. Szydlowski said that opportunity came one day when an alderman for the newly incorporated city of Burbank walked by his house.
“He said ‘What you doing Larry?’ I said, ‘nothing, I’d like to be doing something.’”
The alderman offered Szydlowski one of the first paid city positions, tasked with building and sign designs and repairs. He didn’t get paid much at first and was not right away supportive of “the younger fellows” wanting to unionize.
“They talked me into it, and I’m glad they did because we got the union and we all went up with a raise,” Szydlowski said.
He also helped fight for pensions for himself and other public works staff.
Szydlowski said he faces changes by holding on to small pleasures and happy memories, such as post-retirement traveling with his late wife.
“That’s what I always say is exercise and proper eating, and just keep busy,” he said.
ostevens@chicagotribune.com
