BARKOFSKI, ZIGMOND (Feb. 18, 1920 -- Nov. 8, 2011)If anyone wondered what happened to Zigmond Barkauskas, who was born and raised in the Lithuanian parish of Holy Cross in Mount Carmel, up in the mountains of Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, he changed his last name to Barkofski. I don't know why. His father didn't change his name. Anthony Barkauskas died in Mount Carmel, August 17, 1956, and was buried in the Lithuanian cemetery, across the road from a Polish one, on top of a mountain. Zigmond was the last one of his generation.
Unfortunately, Zigmond, who served our country under an assumed name in World War II with the U.S. Coast Guard, isn't as well known as other war heroes from Mount Carmel. While he was in the South Pacific, his ship, USS Wildcat (AW-2), which was converted in 1944 from a tanker to a water distilling ship, was part of the 7th Fleet. Off the coast of Leyte, in the Philippines, and later off islands closer to Japan, the ship distilled and distributed potable water to various ships and small craft.
The ship was in Manila Bay on August 15, 1945, when Japan surrendered. Everybody went wild and celebrated the victory of the United States. Then Barkofski headed to Conshohocken, up the Schuylkill River from Philadelphia, where he married Stella Nasielski, daughter of Polish immigrants, and lived happily ever after. They had three children, two sons and a daughter. His wife and daughter died before him. Upon his death, his two sons and their wives relatives and friends followed the body of the old coal cracker and World War II veteran to Conshohocken's Polish Church for religious services and Catholic cemetery.
Rest in peace.
From: EDWARD PINKOWSKI (2011) [email protected]