“First of all, I must talk about your horrendous death. At least it was swift and you didn’t suffer,” says Bustard, 87, who served in the Korean War with Nick, who was accidentally killed by a fellow soldier while deployed.
“But the cause was so stupid and never should have happened. That incredibly stupid GI who entered the guardhouse, emptying his rifle. … The lone bullet in the chamber fired,
ricocheted off the floor, killing you as you were taking a nap after your shift on guard duty.” Nick died 10 days shy of his 21st birthday. Ferzetti and Bustard were privates in
the U.S. Army’s 1092nd Engineer Battalion, Combat.
He met Nick in January 1951 as their battalion sailed to South Korea, where they would be stationed in Pusan. They were gawky young men, thousands of miles from everything
familiar, scared witless. They bonded quickly over their shared roots — Bustard was from Germantown, Nick from South Philly — and spoke about their homes and families as Nick
taught Bustard how to play chess.
“He was the sweetest, most cheerful guy,” Bustard said. “Having him there made me feel ess alone.”
Their brief, important friendship ended when Nick was accidentally shot in that guardhouse. Bustard nearly collapsed when he heard the news. He spent 24 hours in his bunk, sobbing.
“It was one of the most traumatic moments of my life,” Bustard says. “We were never told what happened to the guy who killed Joe. They got him out of there. We didn’t see what happened to Nick’ s body, either.”
http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/ronnie_polaneczky/a-66-year-journey-korean-war-vet-finally-says-goodbye-to-his-fallen-friend-lost-66-years-ago-20170617.html
Nick died in Pusan, which is now Busan.
“But the cause was so stupid and never should have happened. That incredibly stupid GI who entered the guardhouse, emptying his rifle. … The lone bullet in the chamber fired,
ricocheted off the floor, killing you as you were taking a nap after your shift on guard duty.” Nick died 10 days shy of his 21st birthday. Ferzetti and Bustard were privates in
the U.S. Army’s 1092nd Engineer Battalion, Combat.
He met Nick in January 1951 as their battalion sailed to South Korea, where they would be stationed in Pusan. They were gawky young men, thousands of miles from everything
familiar, scared witless. They bonded quickly over their shared roots — Bustard was from Germantown, Nick from South Philly — and spoke about their homes and families as Nick
taught Bustard how to play chess.
“He was the sweetest, most cheerful guy,” Bustard said. “Having him there made me feel ess alone.”
Their brief, important friendship ended when Nick was accidentally shot in that guardhouse. Bustard nearly collapsed when he heard the news. He spent 24 hours in his bunk, sobbing.
“It was one of the most traumatic moments of my life,” Bustard says. “We were never told what happened to the guy who killed Joe. They got him out of there. We didn’t see what happened to Nick’ s body, either.”
http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/ronnie_polaneczky/a-66-year-journey-korean-war-vet-finally-says-goodbye-to-his-fallen-friend-lost-66-years-ago-20170617.html
Nick died in Pusan, which is now Busan.
“First of all, I must talk about your horrendous death. At least it was swift and you didn’t suffer,” says Bustard, 87, who served in the Korean War with Nick, who was accidentally killed by a fellow soldier while deployed.
“But the cause was so stupid and never should have happened. That incredibly stupid GI who entered the guardhouse, emptying his rifle. … The lone bullet in the chamber fired,
ricocheted off the floor, killing you as you were taking a nap after your shift on guard duty.” Nick died 10 days shy of his 21st birthday. Ferzetti and Bustard were privates in
the U.S. Army’s 1092nd Engineer Battalion, Combat.
He met Nick in January 1951 as their battalion sailed to South Korea, where they would be stationed in Pusan. They were gawky young men, thousands of miles from everything
familiar, scared witless. They bonded quickly over their shared roots — Bustard was from Germantown, Nick from South Philly — and spoke about their homes and families as Nick
taught Bustard how to play chess.
“He was the sweetest, most cheerful guy,” Bustard said. “Having him there made me feel ess alone.”
Their brief, important friendship ended when Nick was accidentally shot in that guardhouse. Bustard nearly collapsed when he heard the news. He spent 24 hours in his bunk, sobbing.
“It was one of the most traumatic moments of my life,” Bustard says. “We were never told what happened to the guy who killed Joe. They got him out of there. We didn’t see what happened to Nick’ s body, either.”
http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/ronnie_polaneczky/a-66-year-journey-korean-war-vet-finally-says-goodbye-to-his-fallen-friend-lost-66-years-ago-20170617.html
Nick died in Pusan, which is now Busan.
“But the cause was so stupid and never should have happened. That incredibly stupid GI who entered the guardhouse, emptying his rifle. … The lone bullet in the chamber fired,
ricocheted off the floor, killing you as you were taking a nap after your shift on guard duty.” Nick died 10 days shy of his 21st birthday. Ferzetti and Bustard were privates in
the U.S. Army’s 1092nd Engineer Battalion, Combat.
He met Nick in January 1951 as their battalion sailed to South Korea, where they would be stationed in Pusan. They were gawky young men, thousands of miles from everything
familiar, scared witless. They bonded quickly over their shared roots — Bustard was from Germantown, Nick from South Philly — and spoke about their homes and families as Nick
taught Bustard how to play chess.
“He was the sweetest, most cheerful guy,” Bustard said. “Having him there made me feel ess alone.”
Their brief, important friendship ended when Nick was accidentally shot in that guardhouse. Bustard nearly collapsed when he heard the news. He spent 24 hours in his bunk, sobbing.
“It was one of the most traumatic moments of my life,” Bustard says. “We were never told what happened to the guy who killed Joe. They got him out of there. We didn’t see what happened to Nick’ s body, either.”
http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/ronnie_polaneczky/a-66-year-journey-korean-war-vet-finally-says-goodbye-to-his-fallen-friend-lost-66-years-ago-20170617.html
Nick died in Pusan, which is now Busan.
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