Hometown: Simpson, PA
Branch: U.S. Army
Unit: Company C, 1st Battalion, 173rd Airborne Brigade, 503rd Infantry Division
Military Honors: Bronze Star with Oak Leaf Cluster, Air Medal, Purple Heart
Date of Sacrifice: February 10, 1970 - KIA in Binh Dinh Province, South Vietnam
Age: 19
Conflict: Vietnam War, 1959-1975

“Eddie” Kulikowski grew up in the small, unincorporated community of Simpson, Pennsylvania, on the Lackawanna River northeast of Scranton—a region known for coal, iron, and steel production.

He graduated from Fell Township High School in 1967 and was a member of St. Rose of Lima Church in Carbondale. Before enlisting in the Army, Kulikowski worked a construction job in nearby Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

The war in Vietnam had been escalating in the late 1960s, with American troop strength nearing 500,000. Protests on college campuses across the country erupted as American casualties exceeded 15,000 killed and 110,000 wounded by late 1967.

Two years after graduating from high school, Eddie Kulikowski enlisted in the U.S. Army. He arrived at Fort Dix in New Jersey for basic combat training on September 2, 1968. In late October, he was assigned to Fort Gordon in Augusta, Georgia for specialized training as an aviation mechanic.

After additional advanced individual training at Fort Polk, Louisiana, Kulikowski was sent to Fort Benning, Georgia for training as a paratrooper.

Pvt. Kulikowski was sent to Vietnam on May 18, 1969, where he served as a scout observer for the 503rd Infantry, and later for the Army Rangers, Company N, of the 75th Infantry. In December of 1969, Kulikowski was assigned to Company C, 1st Battalion, 173rd Airborne Brigade, 503rd Infantry Division as a rifleman.

After nine months of fighting in South Vietnam’s Binh Dinh Province, Pvt. Kulikowski was days away from rotating out of combat and shipping out to Japan. In February of 1970, his night patrol was ambushed by communist Viet Cong soldiers.

In a letter to Kulikowski’s parents, Cpt. Thomas H. Needham described Eddie’s final mission:

On February 10, 1970, Edward was a member of a night offensive patrol that was given the mission of conducting operations along enemy travel routes in the area of Xuan Phuong Village, which is located approximately 300 meters from the platoon location. At present the company is conducting pacification operations in Binh Dinh Province, Phu My District, along the coastline of the South China Sea.

The patrol departed the platoon location at 6:00 pm and conducted patrolling operations which were to be directed toward the village of Xuan Phuong. The patrol was to set up a night offensive position along a well-used trail which led to the south from the village. The patrol was composed of five American soldiers.

At 9:00 pm, as the patrol was nearing the village, an unknown size enemy force of Viet Cong soldiers made contact with the patrol and Edward was critically wounded. A dust-off helicopter was immediately summoned to the location and Edward was evacuated to the 1st Battalion (Airborne) 503d Aid Station where he was stabilized and every attempt possible was made to save his life by a medical surgeon. Despite all attempts, the extent of injury was such that Edward died before he could receive further treatment.

Pvt. Kulikowski was posthumously promoted to the rank of Corporal. At a ceremony in the local VFW Home, the U.S. Department of the Army presented a posthumous Bronze Star Medal and Purple Heart to his parents, Stanley and Rita (VanNort) Kulikowski, and his younger sister, Ann Marie.

Cpl. Edward J. Kulikowski was laid to rest with full military honors near his hometown. He is honored at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington D.C., where his name is inscribed on Panel 14W, Line 121.

Sources
Details and card photo submitted by Audra Colville—Cpl. Kulikowski’s niece
Scrantonian Tribune, Feb. 15, 1970: Edward Kulikowski, 19, Killed in Vietnam Patrol
The History Channel: Vietnam War Protests
The Times-Tribune, Feb. 17, 1970: Ambush Kills GI Scheduled for Rotation
The Tribune, Jul 25, 1970: Posthumously Awarded
Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund—Wall of Faces: Edward Joseph Kulikowski
HonorStates.org: Edward Joseph Kulikowski
Burial Site: Find a Grave