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Letter to the editor

War hero receives lost honors

He lost track of his 11 medals, but has them again. And the ceremony left him speechless.

By CAMILLE C. SPENCER, Times Staff Writer
Published September 1, 2007

PALM HARBOR - It's been six decades since Nick Kostinko fought for the U.S. Army in World War II.

Now 88, Kostinko doesn't remember what he did to earn the Bronze Star. Only that he had one, and that at some point over the years he lost it.

"I never thought I'd get the medals back," Kostinko said.

But in a small ceremony Aug. 23 at U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis' office, Kostinko received a new Bronze Star and 10 other medals from his nine years in the service.

The New Port Richey man sat in the front of the small room, surrounded by his son, daughter-in-law and about a dozen members of the Veterans Advisory Council.

He wore a black and white plaid sports jacket and wiped a tear from his eye as each of his medals was placed before him.

"What an honor for me," Bilirakis, R-Palm Harbor, said. "You deserve it. You're our hero."

Kostinko's military service took him around the world. He fought in France and supplied ammunition for combat squads in Japan. He earned a range of military honors, but lost some of the medals. Others never arrived.

Recently, his daughter-in-law, Gerri Kostinko, contacted the congressman's office with the hope of obtaining new medals. She wanted to put them in a shadow box and present them to her father-in-law as a gift.

"My wife said, 'We should do something to preserve his memory,'" said Nick Kostinko's son, Nicholas.

At the family's request, the congressman's office contacted the Army and obtained the medals Kostinko had earned.

Richard Whitmyer, who handles veterans affairs in the congressman's office, had gone through the process of retrieving medals for veterans before - but never for someone with so many medals. He suggested a ceremony at Bilirakis' office to honor Kostinko.

"I had no idea we were getting all this," Gerri Kostinko said.

Last week, after the applause and accolades, photographs and handshakes, the veteran was almost speechless.

"I feel pretty honored. It means so much for me," he said. "I just don't know how to feel about this."

Camille C. Spencer can be reached at cspencer@sptimes.com or 727 869-6229.

Fast facts

His list of honors

The 11 medals Nick Kostinko received Thursday include:

- Bronze Star

- Good Conduct medal

- American Campaign medal

- European-American-Middle Eastern Campaign with 3-Bronze Service Star

- WWII Victory medal

- Army of Occupation medal with Japan clasp

- National Defense medal

- Combat Infantry badge

- United National Service medal

- Honorable Service Lapel Button, WWII

- Sharpshooter badge with rifle bar

[Last modified August 31, 2007, 22:20:25]