All Eyes On Tony Grgurich

When Tony Grgurich walked into Washington Street Java Co. with the help of his wife, he sat down at the coffee table, fingered his World War II veteran's hat and began recounting his time spent serving his country and the life he made with his wife after the war.

Grgurich was 20 years old and working for the Rock Island Railroad when he was drafted into the Army during World War II. When he left his parents and 13 siblings in Novinger - a town in Adair County - he did not lay eyes on them again until four years later.

"It was 1942 when I went to the Army," Grgurich said. "I went in January, and I wasn't out 'til October 1945. I went overseas in April 1942 and landed in Australia. We trained there for some time, and on Sept. 18 we went to New Guinea."

Grgurich was a member of the 32nd Red Arrow Division that saw combat in New Guinea. He described working patrol when the fighting occurred.

"I tried to keep my composure," Grgurich said. "There were two boys killed and one wounded, and my patrol caught two prisoners. It was five and a half months of combat all the time. It was a miserable life."

Grgurich said his overseas locations made it difficult to maintain correspondence with his family back on the farm. Contact was also difficult to maintain because although his father spoke English, his mother could only write and speak in Croatian.

One Christmas, Grgurich received a special gift.

"On Christmas day, I got 25 letters at one time from my folks," Grgurich said. "I copied all of the letters from Croatian into English so I could read them."

When the war ended, Grgurich was in the Philippines. Because of his station, he said he didn't know the war was over until a couple of days later. He was unable to return home immediately because he contracted malaria.

"The malaria hit temperature at 105 degrees, and during that time I had to walk to the field hospital with the fever," Grgurich said. "I was sick for two years with malaria after I got home - I was in bad shape. I weighed 180 pounds when I went in, and I weighed 150 when I got home. I was a sorry case."

Grgurich said that after he recovered from his illness, he spent a year in St. Louis with his older brother. During that year, he bought his first piece of construction equipment, and he started his own construction company. Although he has since turned the ownership over to his youngest son, he still enjoys working.

"I liked it, and up to this day I still [bulldoze] a little," Grgurich said. "Over 60 years I owned the company Grgurich's Construction."

Grgurich said he met his wife, Bonita, while she was working at a desk in Woolworth's in Kirksville. He said that later he and a buddy were going to a dance, and both of them liked one young woman his future wife was with. However, Grgurich's friend ended up with the girl they liked, and Grgurich ended up marrying Bonita. Grgurich said they will be celebrating their 59th anniversary May 6.

Grgurich explained that the 32nd Red Arrow Division has a long history. They were a part of World War I and World War II, and they also are serving in Iraq. However, Grgurich is the only remaining member from his time spent in combat.

"They are all gone," Grgurich said. "There were five families that we got together with, and went somewhere every year, but now we are the only ones left."

Grgurich was honored with four Bronze Stars that represent his time served in combat, his unit and division insignia and a blue strip which was the presidential insignia given out by President Roosevelt.

"If I was young again, I would join and help out," Grgurich said. "That's how I feel about my country."