KRAVCHUK LEO

2LT Leo Kravchuk was a potential VHPA member who died after his tour in Vietnam on 01/16/2022 at the age of 87.6
Danvers, MA
Flight Class 59-C6
Date of Birth 06/19/1934
Served in the U.S. Army
This information was provided by Obit

More detail on this person: EASTON---Leonti Fiodorovich Kravchuk was born in Peabody, MA, on June 19, 1934. Leo Kravchuk passed away on January 16, 2022, at his home in Easton, MA. The reason for this name change is just one of many entertaining and riveting stories of a fascinating life. The son of Ukrainian immigrants Fiodor and Marianna Kravchuk, Leo's parents toiled in the leather factories of Peabody and most certainly passed on to him the gift of an incredible work ethic required to achieve the "American Dream." The Kravchuk family eventually settled into a home at 124 Foster Street in Peabody. The nearest Russian Orthodox Church was several miles away in Salem, and with the family not owning a vehicle it was not a viable religious option for the Kravchuk children. His mother was adamant that Leo needed a religious affiliation, so one day after school in the 6th grade, he walked to the nearest Catholic Church and got baptized. Leo was a devote Catholic from that day until his last day. Leo attended Peabody High School and excelled in both hockey and baseball. He also played football in high school, and although he did not enjoy much success on the gridiron, his greatest football moment was when legendary Coach John Bezemes inserted Leo at starting linebacker against rival Saugus High School during the Thanksgiving Day Game his senior season. Leo always felt this gesture was in recognition for him being a human tackle dummy for four years while competing against older, bigger, and stronger teammates daily in practice. As a teenager, Leo worked a myriad of jobs to include pulling weeds on a carrot farm, setting up bowling pins in his role as a "pinboy" at a local bowling alley, collecting compost bins at city homes to be transported to a nearby farm, and eventually joining his mother at the leather factory. With some help from his brother Mylenti (aka Michael, aka "Mexi"), Leo leveraged his ability to play hockey and skated his way up to Brewster Academy in Brewster, NH. Leo's ability to wash dishes in the kitchen at Brewster Academy was also instrumental in his admission to that academic institution. Leo then continued to skate his way to the University of New Hampshire where he was elected captain of the hockey team, joined Theta Kappa Phi fraternity, and enrolled in the Army ROTC program. Leo's UNH hockey career brought him in close contact with future Army General, Senatorial candidate, and Heisman Trophy winner Peter Dawkins - but it's not exactly how Leo envisioned that meeting to go. During an away game versus West Point, Leo was determined to knock this wealthy kid from the Midwest on his "fanny", but after getting the opportunity and initiating that physical contact, Pete Dawkins was the only man left standing and Leo had been knocked on his backside. Upon his graduation from UNH, Leo took to the air and began his required Army commitment and training to become a helicopter pilot. Leo earned his "wings" in 1959 with a specialization flying dual-prop H-21 helicopters (aka "flying banana"). The Army assigned Leo to a military base in Germany where he developed a fondness for the German language, German beer, German food, and a particular affinity for white asparagus. Leo made an annual pilgrimage each October to Munich for the world-renowned Octoberfest celebration. Leo also traveled throughout Europe during his free time while stationed in Frankfurt. He had a front row seat to witness Pope John 23rd elevate newly appointed Catholic Cardinals at a Mass of Consecration, and during this ceremony when the Pope was being carried on his throne down the aisle past him, Leo confessed that he "felt something" which he recalls being some type of sensation come over his body. When Leo returned to Peabody to spend his 30 days of leave, he learned that a neighborhood girl named Angela Regis had returned to the area after being away for years of schooling and work. Leo contacted Angela's father on the phone and proudly introduced himself as "Captain Kravchuk," to which Mr. Regis replied, "Captain Who?" - and the courtship began. Leo and members of his 1st Air Calvary Division were then summonsed in 1965 by the Army to begin a tour of duty to Vietnam. Prior to his departure for this venture into war, Leo learned that he would be piloting "Huey" helicopters in battle, despite having little to no training with this aircraft. After a month-long trip on an aircraft carrier which took him through the Panama Canal, Leo eventually found himself off the shores of Vietnam. Leo immediately realized he would be in for an interesting deployment when he jumped into the pilot's chair of a Huey and had to inform the crew chief in the passenger's seat that he did not know how to start the engine with this type of helicopter. At the conclusion of his Vietnam experience, Leo returned to Peabody and married Angela Regis beginning his life as a family man and purchasing a home in Danvers, MA. With dogged determination, Leo attended night school at Suffolk University taking accounting courses in order to procure employment as a Criminal Investigator with the IRS. He enjoyed his career with the IRS, and he also enjoyed all the free government pens which littered every room he occupied in every house he ever owned. Leo continued his military experience and joined the Army Reserves. While earning his requisite annual flying hours, Leo would pilot helicopters into vast open fields of wild blueberry bushes up in Maine and spend time foraging for his favorite berry. On one occasion, Leo literally "dropped in for dinner" by adroitly landing a helicopter on a small parcel of open space near his Cape Cod home much to the astonishment of adult neighbors, and much to the delight of mesmerized neighborhood kids. This most certainly was a vastly different flying experience than his Vietnam days, and undoubtedly far less stressful. On one excursion with the Army Reserves in 1980, Leo flew with a crew over the Artic Circle earning him affiliation with an exclusive group appropriately designating him as a "Blue Nose" - and he was in possession of a piece of parchment documenting this unique accomplishment and registering this noteworthy feat. He ascended to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel prior to officially retiring from the Army Reserves ending his prestigious and adventurous military career. Around the same time, and after an exemplary 20-year career as a federal agent, Leo put down those government pens and picked up a hammer to build a home on a plot of land he purchased from his brother in Tamworth, NH. Leo enjoyed the solitude this serene New Hampshire setting offered to him. For many years he routinely spent the weekdays in New Hampshire and returned to Danvers for the weekends. Leo looked forward to the weekly Friday symposiums with friends while consuming cheap draft beers at the Ancient Order of Hibernians. It is still uncertain how a group of Irishmen allowed a Ukrainian into that inner circle. Eventually Leo would take to the highways in an old van he located on the side of the road for sale in NH. After removing everything from this van but the driver's seat and building a bench to sleep on in the rear, Leo began to explore on four wheels the wonderful country he so proudly defended years earlier. In retirement, Leo also took advantage of free military flight overseas and free military officer quarters accommodations to visit several European cities and countries to include Paris, Munich, Barcelona, Lisbon, and London. Leo was a voracious reader and enjoyed the use of proper grammar. Leo had a great appreciation for words and their meanings and considered himself a low-level Sesquipedalian - as Leo would often say, "look up the meaning of that word." He always had a Websters Dictionary by his side. Leo loved the mental challenge of crossword puzzles to his very last day - although that Friday New York Times puzzle often befuddled him. Leo enjoyed reading the daily newspaper and was always prepared for an informed and spirited debate on any current news event. Leo was regimented and practiced his accordion exactly one hour each day - although he never was satisfied with his level of proficiency with that clumsy and awkward instrument. Leo was disciplined and walked for 90 minutes and several miles each day picking up discarded items from people's trash bins along his route - but I must say to Leo, one man's trash is not another man's treasure, it is trash. Leo loved wine. Leo loved food. Leo loved classical music. Leo loved stimulating conversation. Leo loved gatherings with his family imbibing and eating while seated at the head of the table - exactly where any king or family patriarch should sit. His family will dearly miss those moments. They don't make men like Leo anymore and the world will miss him. I could keep typing in my effort to honor and memorialize Leo, but I must stop at some point, and that time is now. Leo is survived by his wife Angela; his three children Anne-Marie Levie and her partner Dan Roche (Salem, NH), Larissa Charette and her spouse Robert (Norton, MA), Peter Kravchuk and his spouse Carla (Boca Raton, FL); his four grandchildren Alexandra Levie, Brianna Levie, Cara Charette, and Mathieu Charette; a sister Ann Campagnolo (Beverly Farms, MA), a brother Alexander and his spouse Maureen (Newburyport, MA), and many loving nieces and nephews. Funeral Mass will be held at Holy Cross Church in Easton, MA, on Monday, January 24, at 10:30 a.m. Visitation will be held on this same morning at the Kane Funeral Home in Easton, MA, from 9:00 a.m. -10:00 a.m. Leo will be buried at a future date in Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia.

Burial information: Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, VA

This information was last updated 02/21/2022

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Date posted on this site: 03/10/2024


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