OBITUARY: KRIKOR (KIRK) GULEZIAN, 95
Armenian Weekly
October 24, 2012
Known as “Hardword” because no one in the U.S. Army could pronounce his
Armenian name, Krikor (Kirk) Gulezian, a sergeant in General George
S. Patton’s 807th Tank Destroyer Battalion, Headquarters Company,
died on Sept. 27 after a brief illness. He earned four Battle Stars
in World War II.
Born in Bridgewater, Mass., on March 6, 1917, he was the son of the
late Armenoohie and Nishan Gulezian of (Vehree Taghuh) Kharpert and
Arapkir in historic Armenia. He was the brother of the late Hovaness
(John), a World War II U.S. Navy casualty of war on the USS Meredith
DD434.
Kirk was a resident of Arlington, Mass., prior to enlisting in the
U.S. Army in 1941, and saw action in the European Theatre, in France,
Germany, and Austria. Under the command of Col. Carlton K. Smith, the
unit played a major role in the liberation of Metz, France, in 1944.
Memorable moments, not pertaining to battles, included having his
tooth drilled by the power of a pedal sewing machine, giving his watch
with an illuminated dial to a coal miner in Holland, and meeting
an Ethiopian in Germany who spoke Armenian. Over his lifetime he
contributed one and a half gallons of blood to the American Red Cross.
In an oral history recorded by Gregory H. Arabian, Major, USAF (HD),
Kirk noted that he was transferred from the 3rd Army to 15th Corps
of the 7th Army during the battle. He said, “We were moving so fast,
we paid no attention where we were assigned. We were on the go all
the time, servicing all the units on the front lines anywhere and
everywhere.”
On Nov. 15, 1944, with the Third Cavalry Group, he drove south along
the East Bank of the Moselle River to defend and liberate Metz. “It
was a tough fight into Metz,” he recounted. “I was in Headquarters
Company but I had to get out into the field, through the mines, and
we had to repair the vehicles on the grounds. We were both fighting
and repairing the tanks. The place was loaded with mines.”
The 807th was assigned to the 95th Infantry Division, and against
heavy resistance captured the forts surrounding Metz, and then the
city on Nov. 22, 1944. Major General Walton H. Walker then reported
to Lt. General Patton that Metz was completely secured. The 807th
and 95th liberated the city; they share the title, “The Iron Men of
Metz,” and were both honored 40 and 60 years later for their heroism
and acts of bravery in Metz by the city.
Kirk didn’t talk about the war apart from his oral history session
with Arabian; with Roger Hagopian, who produced a World War II
documentary; and with close friends-except, that is, except during
the movie “Band of Brothers” when he yelled out “It didn’t happen
that way!” after seeing an episode his unit was involved in. He said
the war was something he preferred to forget. Yet, one thing he did
not forget was that on Dec. 18-23, 1944, he was in the Ardennes when
the Battle of the Bulge broke out. His group was 7,000-8,000 yards
south of the bulge and held that position throughout the battle. The
division received a commendation from their commanding officer that
describes what the 807th did: “In August 1944 you launched a drive
through Northern France which must rate as one of the most spectacular
coups of this war. Your bloody battle of the Saar basin breached the
Maginot line, and was leading you well into the Siegfried defenses
when the German Ardennes offensive began. Your magnificent force
marched to Luxembourg and your spirited defense of the Duchy are now
history. In February you crossed the Sauer and smashed the Siegfried
line against the bitterest possible conditions of flood, winter cold,
and stubborn enemy resistance. Your lightening drive to the Rhine,
and vigorous exploitation of its west bank, prepared you for what
was probably the first assault crossing of this ancient barrier in
military history. Your dash into central Germany, well ahead of any
other allied unit, proceeded to electrify our nation. You have advanced
some 600 miles into the heart of Nazi Germany, conquering some 12,000
square miles. Since entering Germany alone, you have captured over
125,000 prisoners, taken such prizes as Frankfurt and Worms, seized
enormous stores of Military equipment, rolling stock, and supplies,
including what must have been the bulk of Germany’s gold reserve,
released thousands of Nazi slaves and allied prisoners, and driven
a beaten enemy into his last stronghold.”
“How did I feel about the war? I had to defend my country,” Kirk said.
“I took it seriously. I was loyal. I was gung ho. … I was brought
up that way. Every time I went by a Post Office I took the sign
seriously that read, ‘I want YOU for U.S. Army.’ … These days,
I do not think we should be involved in world conflicts. I have seen
my share of action in the front lines of World War II and would hope
we would not repeat it.”
He worked at General Electric in Everett, Mass., following the war,
and later was the sales manager of Dodge automobiles at Crawford Motors
in Watertown, Mass; and the operations manager of the European Health
Spa in West Newton, Mass. He was a member of the First Armenian
Church of Belmont, Mass., for over 60 years, where he served as
a deacon and head usher for many years. Kirk started the Junior
Usher Program at the church to involve young people in the life
and service of the church. He was Santa Claus at Christmas for the
church for over 10 years and at Masonic Christmas parties. He owned
his own Santa Claus suit. He actively visited the sick, confined,
and hospitalized throughout his lifetime, and was resident Grandpa
at the Craigville Family Camp for 29 years, until his death. He was a
Freemason for 65 years, Mystic Valley Lodge, Arlington. He graduated
from Arlington High School, attended the Mass College of Pharmacy
and later Rindge Tech to gain expertise with automobiles and motors,
and also attended training at General Electric for the work he did
on the aircraft under their contract.
A man is known not only by the company he keeps, but also by the
contents of his wallet. Besides the photos of family, in his neat
penmanship he kept the names and phone numbers of his friends, a
prayer given to him by General Patton, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King’s
famous “I have a dream” statement, and the following sayings: “Any
society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security
will deserve neither and will lose both” and “Today is a time to be
grateful for all God has done in our lives, and a time to remember
not to take anything for granted, not a single gift, or any person,
or even one moment in time, for when God gives it, it is precious. ”
He is survived by his wife of 65 years, Elizabeth (nee Ananian) of
Watertown, where they lived throughout their marriage; his children
John and Colleen (McDade) Gulezian, West Newton, and Rev. Joanne
(Gulezian) and Dr. Nelson Hartunian, Belmont; and is a grandfather and
a great grandfather of the Gulezian, Hartunian, and Lundbohm children.
A Service of Resurrection and Celebration of Life, along with
recognition of his military contribution in World War II, will be
held on Sun., Nov. 10 at 1 p.m. at the First Armenian Church, 380
Concord Ave. in Belmont, with Masonic Rites followed by a Memorial
Luncheon with a display of his military memorabilia.
Visiting hours at home by appointment. Memorial gifts may be made
in his memory to the First Armenian Church, 380 Concord Ave.,
Belmont, MA 02478; the 807th Tank Destroyer Battalion Newsletter,
140 Hillcrest Ave., Fayetteville, GA 30214; the Craigville Retreat
Center, Scholarship Fund, 39 Prospect Ave., Centerville, MA 02632; the
Armenian Library and Museum of America (ALMA), 65 Main St., Watertown,
MA 02472; or National Association of Armenian Studies and Research
(NAASR), 395 Concord Avenue, Belmont, MA 02478.