On June 19, 2018, Robby Payne went to DFW Airport to pick up Army Staff Sft. Leo Husak to bring him home to West.
Leo Husak
June 2018 - The Dallas Morning News
After more than 70 years in an unmarked grave, the remains of a soldier killed in one of the longest battles of World War II have been identified and returned to his family in Central Texas.
Army Staff Sgt. Leo J. Husak of West was 21 years old when he was killed in January 1945 while on patrol in Hürtgen Forest near Germany's border with Belgium.
He was buried as an unknown in a Dutch cemetery in the Netherlands, where he stayed until his remains were identified earlier this year.
"We're so thankful to everybody and the agencies that did this," said Johnny Husak, Leo's 86-year-old brother. "Coming back to all this is unbelievable."
Law enforcement officers escorted the remains to West on Tuesday, in preparation for a Saturday burial with full military honors. Three of Husak's brothers and a sister will attend, along with nieces and nephews who never got a chance to meet him, the Waco Tribune-Herald reported.
Before he was drafted, Husak played football at West High School and attended West Brethren Church, according to his obituary. He was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart.
Leave a Reply 0 comments