VET SAYS BUDDY IS DUE MEDAL.Byline: BETTIE RENCORET Senior columnist PALMDALE - Veteran Louis B. Cheaney is on a crusade. He wants his deceased war buddy, Staff Sgt. Andrew Prevuznak, who survived a Japanese prison camp and helped improve conditions for the imprisoned im·pris·on tr.v. im·pris·oned, im·pris·on·ing, im·pris·ons To put in or as if in prison; confine. [Middle English emprisonen, from Old French emprisoner : en- Americans, to be awarded the Legion of Merit Legion of Merit n. Abbr. LM A U.S. military decoration awarded for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services. posthumously. Cheaney, who saw service in both World War II and the Korean War Korean War, conflict between Communist and non-Communist forces in Korea from June 25, 1950, to July 27, 1953. At the end of World War II, Korea was divided at the 38th parallel into Soviet (North Korean) and U.S. (South Korean) zones of occupation. , feels Armed Forces Day is an appropriate time to illuminate what he considers a gross injustice to the buddy he went overseas with. ``We eventually got separated but we kept in touch,'' he said, ``and the United States War Department was wrong when it awarded Andy only a Bronze Star instead of a deserved Legion of Merit. It may be a little late but I still want him to get this more appropriate recognition.'' Prevuznak was imprisoned in the former Mukden, Manchuria, in a squalid camp with Brig. Gen. Charles Wainwright and the men who had survived the Bataan Death March Bataan Death March (April 1942) Forced march of 70,000 U.S. and Filipino prisoners of war (World War II) captured by the Japanese in the Philippines. From the southern end of the Bataan Peninsula, the starving and ill-treated prisoners were force-marched 63 mi (101 km) to a after the capture of the Philippines. Prevuznak, a mess sergeant, remembered some things his mother had told him about the hardships she endured as she was growing up in the Balkans and how her family had improvised to make good food. He got some of the men together and showed them how to use scrap lumber to make brick molds, then they filled the molds with mud and let it get good and dry in the sun. When they were ready he unmolded them and made ovens out of the bricks. Then he taught the men how to use sheet metal to fashion bread pans. There was no yeast for leavening so he made his own leaven leaven (lĕv`ən), agent used to raise bread or other flour foods. Physical leavens include water vapor, which is released as steam at high temperatures (as in popovers), and air, which is incorporated by beating. by mixing sugar and water, then letting it ferment in the sun. From that start, and other ingredients mixed with rice, he was able to make fresh, homemade bread. They didn't have any soap, he said, but Prevuznak had them scour the dishes and pans with sandy mud, rinse them with water, then let the heat of the ovens sanitize To remove sensitive data from an information system, a database or an extract from a database. See sensitive. them. ``He was real good at obtaining unauthorized supplies right under the noses of his captors, too,'' said Cheaney, laughing. ``He made a bad thing bearable. A lot of guys would've probably died from dysentery dysentery (dĭs`əntĕr'ē), inflammation of the intestine characterized by the frequent passage of feces, usually with blood and mucus. or some other disease, if it hadn't been for Andy. And he gave them the will to survive that they'd almost lost.'' Cheaney's major gripe gripe v. To have sharp pains in the bowels. n. 1. gripes Sharp, spasmodic pains in the bowels. 2. A firm hold; a grasp. isn't so much that Prevuznak needs another medal. He has plenty of those to his credit. He has a Purple Heart, lots of Bronze Stars, oak-leaf clusters and others. It's not that. It's the fact that his pal was recommended for the Legion of Merit and Cheaney feels the War Department should have followed those recommendations instead of giving him just another Bronze Star. ``Andy died in Fort Sam Houston Fort Sam Houston, U.S. army base, 3,300 acres (1,335 hectares), S Tex., in San Antonio; headquarters of the Fifth Army. San Antonio, long a military center, donated land in 1870 for the site of a permanent military post that was constructed from 1876 to 1890 and , Texas, Dec. 3, 1979,'' he said. ``After all these years I'd like to see him get his Legion of Merit now. What's fair is fair.'' Cheaney himself has an extensive military background. He retired as a sergeant first class after 23 years in the infantry. He was with the military police in the Philippines during World War II, packed parachutes in the Korean War and worked some as a stateside recruiter. His duty stations also included Alaska, North Africa, Sicily and other places in Europe. He was awarded a Purple Heart after he was shot in the hip during his Korean service. He also has the French Croix de Guerre and numerous combat citations. Now 83, Cheaney was born in Dallas, the second oldest of seven. His mother died when he was 10. His father couldn't take care of the whole brood so Lou wound up in an orphanage, ran away at age 11 and subsequently became ``a kid on the lam.'' He only completed the fifth grade. He joined a Civilian Conservation Corps Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), established in 1933 by the U.S. Congress as a measure of the New Deal program. The CCC provided work and vocational training for unemployed single young men through conserving and developing the country's natural resources. unit, then the U.S. Army when he wasn't quite 18. After 23 years of active duty Cheaney retired and went to work in the private sector. On May 11, 1957, he married Christina Paisley, ``the most beautiful girl in the world. They had ``42 wonderful years together'' before she died Oct. 8, 1999. They came to Palmdale in 1966 and he became involved in the milk industry working for both Adohr and Knudsen's dairies and the Teamsters union. He retired again in 1980 after 20 years. Menus for the week at the senior life nutrition sites in Lancaster, Palmdale and South Valley have been announced. All meals include bread, margarine and coffee, tea or milk for a suggested donation of $2. Monday: Macaroni and cheese with ham, spinach, tossed salad, apple juice, peaches. Tuesday: Hot turkey sandwich, peas, mashed potatoes, carrot/raisin/pineapple salad, cookies. Wednesday: Roast pork, dressing, stewed stewed adj. 1. Cooked by stewing: stewed prunes. 2. Informal Intoxicated; drunk. stewed Adjective 1. tomatoes, coleslaw cole·slaw also cole slaw n. A salad of finely shredded raw cabbage and sometimes shredded carrots, dressed with mayonnaise or a vinaigrette. , Jell-O with fruit. Thursday: Lemon chicken, sweet potatoes, green beans, cottage cheese cottage cheese a soft, uncured cheese made from soured skim milk; most of the lactose is removed with the whey. Used in low-residue diets for dogs and cats. with peaches, orange. Friday: Hamburger patty or fish fillet, potato salad, parsleyed carrots, lettuce, tomato, juice, ice cream. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Louis Cheaney wants his deceased war buddy, Staff Sgt. Andrew Prevuznak, to be given the Legion of Merit. Bettie Rencoret/Special to the Daily News |
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