CPL Edwin Charles Borusky

Edwin Charles Borusky was named for his grandfather, Charles Borusky, a lieutenant in the 116th New York Infantry Regiment who was killed in the Civil War.

The grandson was also known by his middle name and also died in military service. He was a Marine corporal on the U.S.S. Arizona when he was killed in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on  Dec. 7, 1941.

Mr. Borusky was born Oct.. 12, 1919 in northeastern North Dakota near the Canadian border to Fred Borusky, a teacher, farmer, and later a state legislator, and Flora Clairmont Borusky, who started a hospital in their home in Langdon.

The son studied pre-medicine for six months at the University of North Dakota.

He enlisted in the Marines in Chicago on Oct. 12, 1939 alongside James Krahn, another Langdon man killed on the Arizona.

The two men were honored at a memorial service in Langdon, a town of about 1,502. VFW Post 2631 in Langdon was founded in 1945 and named in their honor.

Two months after his death, Mr. Borusky’s mother wrote to the Marine Corps saying her pain was worse because his body was not found. “My grief is so deep I do not see how I will stand it,” she wrote, noting that she had angina and lost 25 pounds. Sadly, she died less than six months later. She was 66.