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Episode #611 of Hometown Heroes, airing January 16-20, 2020, comes in time for the 75th anniversary of a tragic day aboard the aircraft carrier USS Ticonderoga (CV-14), and examines the legacy of one of the courageous sailors who gave his life for his country on January 21, 1945. Eddie Mazur of New Kensington, PA will soon be honored through a display at Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum in Pittsburgh.

Eddie Mazur was initially listed as missing in action. (Mazur Collection, Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum)

On episode #543 of Hometown Heroes in 2018, Bob Mettauer of Santa Maria, CA related his memories from the Ticonderoga, including the day his best friend, Eddie Mazur, was killed in action. In the book Bob has about his carrier, Mazur’s name is listed among those “missing in action,” not on the “killed in action” list. Having seen his badly burned best friend on a medical cot while bringing injured sailors to sick bay, Mettauer knew that Mazur had succumbed to his injuries, and he later wrote a letter to Mazur’s family. That letter will soon be part of a display at Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum, but at the time of our 2018 interview, Bob had never spoken to anyone from the Mazur family, and was unsure if they knew the full circumstances of Eddie’s ultimate sacrifice.

This August 1945 news clipping shared confirmation of Mazur’s death. (Mazur Collection, Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum)

Another item from the future museum display is a news clipping from the Daily Dispatch in New Kensington, PA, published on V-J Day in 1945. It reveals that Eddie’s brother, Joseph, had boarded the Ticonderoga hoping for a heartwarming reunion with Eddie, the youngest of 12 Mazur siblings. Instead, Joseph learned that Eddie was one of 143 sailors aboard the carrier to end up killed or missing.

On this episode of Hometown Heroes, you’ll hear Mettauer’s memories from January 21, 1945, you’ll hear from Michael Kraus, curator of the Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum, and you’ll also hear from Fred Mazur, Eddie’s nephew. Fred created an online tribute to his uncle, which ultimately led to Bob Mettauer finally connecting with his best friend’s family.