VETERAN SALUTE: Serving with the army in Vietnam

EMPORIA (KSNT) - Originally from New Jersey, John Korsak became a Kansan through K-State. After receiving his electrical engineering degree, he was called to serve his country overseas at the army headquarters in Vietnam.

From an early age, Karsak was instilled with the value of community service. He's always kept an eye out for ways to help others.

“That’s my way of life," Karsak said. "That was the way I was brought up and that’s the way I live my life. Volunteering for a lot of different things.”

That selfless nature would prove vital for Karsak. After he received his draft notice and order for Vietnam.

“I had been drafted a number of times previously, but since I was in school it was deferred," Karsak said. "Once I graduated, I knew I was going to go into the military. That was part of my duty to my country, so there was no question about it. I was going to go.” 

Overseas, Karsak, served at the U.S. Army headquarters in Long Binh, Vietnam. Par of the aviation section, he worked closely with majors and kept track of all the army aircraft.

“When I got there we were at heightened alert," Karsak said. "The perimeter was expanded, and I did a lot of guard duty on the perimeter. We got shelled by rockets on a regular basis, I can’t say you got use to them but you became aware of them, to the point where it didn’t bother you as much. If it was going to hit you it was going to hit you, you didn’t have much say in that.” 

Additionally, Karsak went along with pilots to keep up proficiency. He took to the skies at least a dozen times.

“There’s a lot of support people that go into maintaining that equipment, guarding that equipment, and obviously flying that equipment," Karsak said. "Everybody did their part.”

Today, Karsak is still finding ways to serve his community. Being a part of the Emporia VFW, American Legion and Rotary Club where he has been a member for about 50 years.