Decorated paratrooper who fought in World War II has died at age 100 in Atlanta

During the Allied invasion of Europe, Walter Perkowski led a patrol of fellow paratroopers in southern France against German troops.

Perkowski fatally shot two of the combatants, his military commendation records show. He was nearly out of ammunition when he encountered many more. Speaking Polish, he convinced 14 to surrender.

“They looked at me, and I looked at them. I only had four rounds. I didn’t dare shoot,” Perkowski said in a conversation filmed by his grandson. “I said, ‘Stick up your hands, or I will kill every one of you.’ They all stuck up their hands.”

Next, his patrol came under fire by enemy machine-gunners in hiding. Perkowski exposed himself to draw their fire and locate their positions, allowing mortarmen to knock them out.

Perkowski, who earned the Silver Star for those courageous actions, died Saturday at Grady Memorial Hospital following a fall in his Forest Park home. He was 100.

“They don’t make them like that anymore,” said his grandson, Chad Gentry of Dallas, Georgia. “He was a role model for me.”

Credit: Family photo

Credit: Family photo

The second youngest of seven children, Perkowski was born to Polish immigrants in Dickson City, Pennsylvania. He was raised by a single mother during the Great Depression in Cleveland, Ohio. Impoverished, they ate weeds to survive, according to his family.

Perkowski joined the U.S. Army on July 15, 1943, less than a year before D-Day. When he met with a military recruiter, Gentry said, Perkowski asked what job paid the most and was told serving as paratrooper, so he responded: “Sign me up.”

He was assigned to the 517th Parachute Infantry Regiment, which was activated at Camp Toccoa in northeast Georgia. The military trenchcoat he wore during his deployment in Europe is on display at the Currahee Military Museum in Toccoa.

Perkowski parachuted into southern France with the regiment during Operation Dragoon on Aug. 15, 1944, according to the National Infantry Museum. He also served in the Rhineland, Rome-Arno, central Europe and Ardennes campaigns, his military records show.

Perkowski received two Purple Hearts for injuries he received in combat on separate days in France. He told Gentry he was wounded by an exploding land mine and an enemy grenade attack amid a harrowing firefight with German troops.

After the war, he went to work for the U.S. Postal Service and resided in Forest Park. He became an avid weight lifter, hiker and runner.

“He would always say, ‘A body in motion stays in motion,’” Gentry said. “If he wasn’t working out at the gym or running, he was gardening. He loved flowers. I believe he wanted to bring beauty into the world after seeing a lot of ugliness in his early days.”

He was modest about his actions during World War II, said his daughter, Kathy Perkowski of Asheville, North Carolina. She underscored that her father encouraged youngsters to excel.

“He was a good person,” she said. “He cared about people.”

His other survivors include his wife of 52 years, Carol Perkowski of Forest Park; a stepdaughter, Tara Evans of Cartersville; grandchildren, Erin Evans of Cartersville and Brandy Greer of Hiram; and great-grandchildren, Chance Greer of Hiram and Chad Gentry Jr., Colin Gentry and Lorilei Gentry of Dallas.

Perkowski’s funeral is set for 1 p.m. Friday at Tara Garden Chapel in Jonesboro followed by a ceremony with military honors at Sherwood Memorial Park and Mausoleum.