'Big Beautiful Guy
...Now He's Dead'
Albert Korona 3d loved his work as a draftsman and had set his sights on a career as a designer of automobiles.
Korona, 20, was drafted into the Army last April and "he felt it was a good time to get his military obligation out of the way," said his father, Albert Korona Jr.
Last Thursday, all of Korona's dreams ended. He was killed in combat near Rechkien, South Vietnam.
"He was such a big beautiful guy," his father said. "Now all we know is that he's dead."
Representatives of the Defense Department informed the Korona's of their son's death today. "They didn't give us any details," Korona said.
Spec. 4 Albert Korona served as a radio-telephone operator with the 9th Infantry Division in the Mekong Delta. "Another radioman died in his squad not so long ago," Korona explained.
A 1965 graduate of Trenton High School, Korona had served in Vietnam since last December. He often wrote five letters a week, his father said.
"Here is a letter, written the day before he died," he said, as his wife, Mrs. Mary Sedor Korona, handed him a stack of letters.
"He pulled no punches," the father explained as he read through a letter written on May 17 (the day before his son was killed). "He always tried to let us know what was going on."
"It's just another day over here," the elder Korona read from his son's letter. The letter explained he soon would be up for a transfer and that he also should soon be promoted to sergeant.
The letter also noted the "hell" that is not told about something like blowing up "one little bunker." The "hell" is the mine fields the troops must go through to get to the enemy.
"We may even get a letter today," his mother said as she quickly left the room.
Another letter also mentioned how "homesick" Korona sometimes got. "But I just clean my gun or something to take my mind off it," it stated.
Korona was employed at DeLaval Turbine Inc. before being drafted. "He really loved his work over there," his father explained.
"His dream was to complete his military obligation and go to college," he said. "He wanted to design cars."
Besides his parents, he is survived by his brother, Lawrence; and a grandmother, Mrs. Mary Sedor of Trenton.
