French village honors its American heroes Sayreville resident returns to scene of battle in WWII BY MARY ANNE ROSS Correspondent FILE PHOTO Ed Kolodziej shows his World War II medals and memorabilia in his office in 2005. SAYREVILLE - Ed Kolodziej took a step back in time a few weeks ago, returning to the small French town where nearly 63 years earlier he faced his first night of combat. Kolodziej, now a grandfather and retired attorney, was a young soldier with the 95th Infantry Division of Gen. George Patton's Third Army in October 1944, on patrol behind enemy lines in Vezon, France. He and 15 other soldiers walked into a German trap and found themselves under fire and significantly outnumbered. Kolodziej, a machine gun specialist, is credited with knocking out two German machine guns and killing approximately 25 enemy soldiers. The Germans in the village surrendered the next day, and Kolodziej would later receive a Bronze star from Patton for his actions. Sadly, a young private named John D. Noel, from Madisonville, Ky., was killed during the shoot-out. The people of Vezon never forgot the sacrifice of that young American or the courage of his comrades. And for this year's Victory in Europe celebrations, which take place each May, the town officials decided to dedicate a street in Noel's honor. Kolodziej was invited to participate in the May 12 ceremony and the unveiling of the plaque for "Rue John D. Noel." "I felt like I was accepting the honor for the 95th Infantry Division," Kolodziej said. Kolodziej was accompanied on the trip to France by his wife Irene, sister Rita, nephew Jonathan Bailey and grandson Jonathan Pinto, who is a member of the U.S. Coast Guard. Present-day Vezon is a small farming community of about 200 homes and 800 people. Kolodziej noted that it hasn't changed much since the war. "It's a little more modern and the roads are paved, but it is still pretty much the same," he said. When Kolodziej was there the first time, its residents had fled because of the German invasion. He never met any of the local townspeople. This time, he met many of them, and found them to be warm and welcoming. "I was honored as a liberator, and was hugged and kissed by all kinds of people. Two 90-year-olds came up and thanked me for liberating their country from the Germans," he said. Kolodziej also spoke to two classes of 10-year-old children. Through an interpreter, the students asked questions about World War II, Patton and the fight that had occurred in their town. They decorated their classrooms with drawings and photos from the era and presented a program for the American and his family, singing a song and thanking him for what he did during the war. "My family and I found the whole experience very moving. This town had experienced German invasions in both World War I and World War II. They are very grateful for what the Americans did," Kolodziej said. "We were accompanied by the mayor and visited the homes of many people. Every-one welcomed us." In a sense, Kolodziej's journey back to Vezon began when he gave an account of his experience to the Oral History Archives at Rutgers University, New Brunswick. That brought his story to the attention of a writer for the History Channel, and last year he was featured on an episode of the History's Channel "Shootout" series. The episode, "WWII: Storming France," included interviews with Kolodziej and two other veterans, and provided a reenactment of the events that occurred at Vezon. Kolodziej feels strongly about the sacrifices that soldiers make for their country. On Monday, he spoke at the Memorial Day ceremonies in Mansfield Township, Burlington County. He told the audience: "We gather today to remember and to thank those who sacrificed their youthful years for the gift of freedom. Some were weak, some were strong, but all had one common bond - they struggled to perpetuate a free country and a way of life worth living. The lesson is always the same: Freedom to live the life we choose is worth fighting for and must be won over and over again."