"Keeper of the Keys" - Ted Szakmary, Sergeant - Brief Article

Unlocking father's military history during deployment

When the Army Reserve's 800th Military Police (Enemy Prisoner, of War) Brigade mobilized for Operation Desert Storm ten years ago, unit member Lt. Col. Ted Szakmary had no idea his trip to Southwest Asia would uncover facts about his own father's war experiences 55 years before -- as a Hungarian POW of the American forces.

What the Long Island, N.Y., resident did know was the treatment he provided the prisoners in his charge during this deployment would make a difference in the lives of countless people long after the conflict ended. Personal experience had taught Szakmary that. Because of the humane manner he experienced at the hands of U.S. soldiers during World War II, his father immigrated to America with his wife and son. It was the beginning of a journey that would come full circle.

During his eight-month deployment to Saudi Arabia, Szakmary, who is currently commander of the 220th Military Police Brigade of Gaithersburg, Md., was responsible for the accounting and care of nearly 70,000 captured Iraqis. The North Babylon schoolteacher coordinated closely with officials of the International Committee of the Red Cross, one of whom provided a crucial link to World War II POW records and the key to unlocking information on Szakmary's father who had passed away in 1955.

"I was only eight years old when my father died," explained Szakmary; "and all I really knew about what had happened to him during the war was just bits and pieces Ironically it wasn't until I arrived in the Persian Gulf that I was able to fill in some of the gaps -- thanks to Luca Piazia."

Piazia, a Red Cross senior agent, knew just where to look for the details. His own Italian grandfather had been a prisoner of war of the Americans at about the same time. When learning of their mutual experience, he offered his help and the resources of an organization that had been tracking the status of prisoners of war for more than 100 years. Piazia's search produced a copy of the senior Szakmary's capture card -- a form of identification -- and other previously unknown facts.

"What I discovered is that my father worked as a Hungarian border guard before joining the ranks of the nationalized police in 1939," recalled the now Army Reserve brigadier general "He eventually went to the Eastern front and fought near Stalingrad before his artillery unit was forced to retreat. In the process of fleeing to Germany, he surrendered to an element of Patton's 3rd-Army and was interned near Nuremberg."

The records show Szakmary's father became a camp cook, while his wife-to-be worked just outside the camp's gates as a seamstress. After 18 months of captivity, the prisoners were given an ultimatum -- return home or stay on in the camp. The choice was apparently easy for the battle weary soldier.

"The one thing I remember my father saying was that the U.S. troops treated the prisoners as best they could. It made a life-long impression on him," Added Szakmary "He would never return to his homeland, and I believe his positive memories, while being held by the Americans, were the reason he headed to America."

Categorized as "displaced persons," the Szakmarys' odyssey took them to the Boston area. Ted graduated from Ohio State University and received his commission as a 2nd lieutenant in 1969. More than three decades later, he still recalls his commitment and motivation to put on a military uniform at the time U.S. forces were serving in Vietnam.

"It may sound cliche, but I felt a need to pay this great nation back for giving my family the opportunity to live the American dream," recounted the father of three. "And I think my father would be not only surprised, but pleased, to know I played a role in handling the POWs during Desert Storm - that I became the 'keeper of the keys."'

According to Szakmary, the good treatment the American MPs became renown for among the Iraqi troops was due in large part to the brigade members themselves.

"Those interned at our camps were treated the same way we would want our soldiers provided for if taken prisoner. The Iraqis were fed before our own soldiers and administered the same quality of medical care," he stressed. "I think it was, and is, important to treat any prisoners of war like another country's patriots. Thanks to the dedication and hard work of our MPs, I know that to have been the case during the Gulf War."

In memory of his father's experience, Szakmary continues to share the message he believes all Americans, particularly those who are charged with the care of enemy troops, cannot afford to forget.

"Once a soldier becomes a prisoner, the healing process of war begins. POWs will eventually return home and they will remember the kind of treatment they were subjected to. Those feelings are handed down through the generations," he concluded. "I serve as a testimonial to the truth of that statement. God bless America."

Master Sgt. Wright was a member of Task Force Ten, Office of the Chief, Army Reserve, at the time this article was written

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