Stanley was inducted on October 15, 1940. He was part of the 32nd Red Arrow Division that crossed the Owen Stanley Mountains on foot, and participated in the assault on the Japanese at Buna in Papua New Guinea. After Buna, suffering from jungle rot and malaria, he was put on limited duty in Australia. He had enough points to get home, but stayed on until Japan surrendered.

He was discharged in August 1945 and was awarded the Bronze Star for his service.¹ You can find more information about his service and the trek across the Owen Stanley Mountains to Buna in the book The Ghost Mountain Boys by James Campbell.

In 2014, he visited the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. on a Legends Flight, organized for area veterans.² He also received some attention for winning season tickets to the Detroit Tigers from a raffle ticket he got for his 94th birthday, in 2017.³ He passed away peacefully at home with his loved ones on January 8, 2018.⁴

 

 

1. Campbell, James. The Ghost Mountain Boys. Three Rivers Publishers, 2008.
2. sklooste@mlive.com, Stephen Kloosterman |. “Legends Flight: World War 2 veteran Stanley Jastrzembski surprised by strangers’ recognition.” MLive.com, 12 Oct. 2014, www.mlive.com/news/muskegon/index.ssf/2014/10/legends_flight_world_war_2_vet_1.html.
3. bchampio@mlive.com, Brandon Champion |. “Lifelong Tigers fan, 94, wins season tickets in Michigan Lottery.” MLive.com, MLive.com, 16 May 2017, www.mlive.com/lottery/index.ssf/2017/05/lifelong_tigers_fan_94_wins_se.html.
4. “Stanley Jastrzembski’s Obituary on Muskegon Chronicle.” Muskegon Chronicle, obits.mlive.com/obituaries/muskegon/obituary.aspx?n=stanley-jastrzembski&pid=187803867.

 

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