Mary R. Korcsog

Mary Rebecca Vaison Korcsog, age 89, passed from life peacefully on September 4, 2009. Born Mary R. Vaison on January 12, 1920, to a Romanian family in Toledo, Ohio, Mary was raised in the Birmingham neighborhood in Toledo. From an early age she demonstrated an unusually energetic nature and capacity for hard work, helping her mother with cooking and the daily chores while other youngsters played. She left school after eighth grade to work at multiple jobs to assist her family with needed income during the Depression. She always credited her mother with instilling in her self-confidence, frugality and a deep faith in God. Mary loved this country very much. After World War II began, she enlisted in the newly-formed Womens Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC), United States Army, serving from December 17, 1942 through November 1, 1945. Basic training for the new WAACs was quite intense. Mary and her fellow enlistees took long marches wearing heavy packs, crawled in mud under barbed-wire, and were drilled in self-defense and other survival skills, such as identifying enemy aircraft and weapons and using gas masks. Gifted with an ability to organize and lead, this otherwise quiet and unassuming woman was quickly promoted to Sergeant. Her WAAC unit - then only a very small number of women - shipped out for duty in areas of the still volatile South Pacific. Their mission was to establish and stock field mess units and then staff them as cooks and workers. By taking over these tasks, the WAACs freed up the soldiers for more direct combat roles. Later on, toward the end of Marys tour, some 3500 more WAACs arrived from the states, assuming the duties her unit had begun. Marys assignments took her to Australia, New Guinea, and the Philippine Islands. On Manila, she and other WAACs lived in tents for several months. She saw first-hand the horrific results of war there and at Corregidor, and frequently remarked about the smell of death on the island. From there, and with only nine other WAACs, she was sent to New Guinea, where they were housed in cramped barracks on the beach. They endured 130-degree heat, malaria-carrying mosquitoes, jungle rats, and the very real threat of being overrun during a Japanese counter attack. The WAACs were transported around in Toledo-made Jeeps, a fact that the pretty, black-haired sergeant was not shy about pointing out to the GIs driving them. Mary met many, many soldiers and was proud of all of them. For a time the fighting came within two miles and at night the women armed themselves with knives from the mess hall and some bats the soldiers gave them. Mary saw many dead and wounded GIs during this time, including some she had gotten to know. Once when ordered back to Manila on short notice, she caught the first flight out, a small medical transport plane taking six wounded GIs to a Manila hospital. It became a bumpy 13-hour ordeal, undertaken in bad weather, with two refueling stops. Sitting on the floorboard, Mary fastened a leather strap to the bulkhead and used it as a makeshift seatbelt. Next to her the soldiers were secured down on cots. She recalled the irony of how one GI, though badly injured, kept reassuring her, a nervous young WAAC, that everything will be okay. For her service during WWII, Mary received various medals and citations, among them the Asiatic Pacific Theater Ribbon with a Bronze Star, WAAC Service Medal, WWII Victory Medal and Good Conduct Medal. She always said it was an honor to have served. In an era of limited opportunities, Sgt. Mary Vaison, whether she realized it or not, became a pioneer. In 1997 Mary was recognized and honored in Washington D.C. by the National Women in Military Service for America Memorial. With her two daughters, Sandy and Becky, she attended the dedication ceremonies there. An edited version of a longer article she wrote about her wartime experiences was published in the Memorials newsletter and distributed during the dedication. Mary was also a life member of the American Legion, Conn-Weissenberger Post.After the war, Mary returned to Toledo, married and raised a family. This was the sweet and loving wife, mother, aunt, grandmother and great-grandmother we all came to know in later years. Her husband of 46 years, Alexander Corky J. Korcsog, himself a WWII combat veteran, worked at Jeep for 43 years. He predeceased her in 1996. Also predeceasing Mary were her mother and father, brothers, Chuck and Nick Kimpon, and sister, Sue Szegiti. A kind and generous soul, Mary is survived by her daughters, Sandy (Mark) Schmollinger and Becky (Randy) Middaugh, sons, Daniel Korcsog and Ron (Nancy) Korsog, numerous grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews. The family will receive friends on Tuesday, September 8 from 2:00 pm until 8:00 pm at the H.H. Birkenkamp Funeral Home, Trilby Chapel, Tremainsville at Alexis. Funeral services will be held at 10:00 am on Wednesday, with interment to follow at Calvary Cemetery, where Mary will be laid to rest next to her loving Corky. The family asks that any contributions be made in Marys name to Honor Flight of Northwest Ohio, P.O. Box 23018, Toledo, Ohio, 43623. Marys family further wishes to thank all the caregivers at Lake Park, Comfort Care, Hospice and the ninth-floor nursing staff at Toledo Hospital. Online condolences and to view photos of Mary at www.birkenkampfuneralhome.comA pioneer for women in the military. A patriot in the service of her country. A member of the Greatest Generation. A role model, mother and grandmother. Thank you for being all of these to us. Love Sandy & Mark, Becky & Randy, Dan, Ron & Nancy.