My former commanding officer and best man at my wedding has died.
Lieut. Col. Ed Kosakowski passed away Friday evening after a long battle with Alzheimer's and other ailments. Ingrid called with the sad news. Arrangements thus far are for services to be on August 1 including graveside military honors. I will post more here as I get news.
Ed's long service to the country began as an army private. He advanced to master sergeant and then joined the Air Force. He was eventually commissioned as a Medical Service Corps officer. Ed's civilian career was as a pharmacist followed by civil service as an air reserve technician. His last assignment was as commander of the 74th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron, Westover Air Force Base Massachusetts.
There are a great number of Air Force officers grateful to "Colonel K" for his influence on our careers. So many squadron NCOs were commissioned under his leadership that we jokingly called his efforts "Colonel K's OCS."
Ed married Ingrid and they had one son, Eddie Junior. Both Eddie Junior and Ingrid showed their lasting love for Ed in caring for him during these last difficult years.
Ed happened to be the first C-123 veteran awarded VA benefits in mid 2015 once our battle to win Agent Orange benefits finally succeeded.
God bless the family.
[T]he government’s interest in veterans cases is not that it shall win, but rather that justice shall be done, that all veterans so entitled receive the benefits due to them.” Barrett v. Nicholson, 466 F.3d 1038, 1044 (Fed.Cir.2006)
