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Wall of Honor Level:
Air and Space Friend

Honored by:
Mr. Carl J. Calkins

Buzz Bezusko was born in Western Pa., and grew up in a coal mining town near Scranton, in N.E. Pa. After graduating from High School, he joined the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC's) at Quantico, Virginia, where he worked in a rock quarry operating jack-hammers, using dynamite, trucks and graders for the building of roads, bridges and dams in a nearby National Park.

In August 1941, Buzz went to Toronto, Canada and joined the Polish-Army-in-Exile, and received his Basic Training at Owen Sound, Ontario. At that time, the Battle of Britain was in full swing and pilots were desperately needed. He qualified for a transfer to the Polish Air Force/RAF as a cadet and was sent to Liverpool in a convoy of ships. In January 1943, he received his Polish & British Pilots Wings and was posted near New Castle, England as a Sgt. Pilot in a Fighter Gunnery School (where he also patrolled sea lanes in England & Scotland for the Coastal Command). On the 25th of May 1943, he was forced to transfer to the U.S. Military with thousands of other Americans serving with our allies. However, instead of joining a U.S. Army Squadron in England, he was given the rank of Flight Officer and sent to Texas for framing in U.S. Fighter Aircraft. He returned to the E.T.O. in January 1945 after checking-out in T-6, P-40, and P-47 aircraft in stateside combat training units. While WW II was winding down, Buzesko flew Ground Support missions in Germany with the 48th Fighter Group in P-47 aircraft.

Between WW II and the Korean War, he trained cadets to fly combat aircraft (F-51, F-80, and T-33 fighters) at Williams AF Base, Arizona. He also trained rated pilots to perform air-to-air and air-to-ground combat tactics at Nellis AF Base, Nevada (flying F-51, F-80C and F-86 fighters). Then in August 1950, Buzz volunteered to fly Ground Support missions in Korea with the 49th Ftt Gp. In Korea, he extended his Combat Tour three times (flying F-80C and T-33 aircraft).

After the Korean War, Bezusko flew with the Western & North Eastern Defense Command flying fighter aircraft. He even checked-out in the C-47 Gooney Bird. In 1957 Buzz resigned from Active Duty and transferred to the Ready Reserves in Long Beach, Ca. He finally retired from the military in 1972 with the rank of LCOL. During his military career, Buzz was decorated by the Poles, British, French, Koreans, United Nations, and the United States Army & U.S. Air Force. Bezusko also retired from McDonnell Douglas and the Rockwell Corporation as an Engineering Technical Writer. He worked at McDonnell Douglas until he was 72 years old. Buzz and his wife Johnnie reside in Long Beach, Ca. and are blessed with two children and 6 grandchildren.