Peter Garyga was born in 1922 to Harry and Mary Garyga, who lived at 427 Breckonbridge Street in Phoenixville , Pennsylvania.  Peter was the fourth of five children: Anna, Steffie, John A., Peter and Jennie.  His parents emigrated from Austria to begin their family.  His father, Harry, was a laborer at a packing company.   The family later moved to Franklin Avenue.

Peter enlisted in the Army Air Force in November 1943. He received training in Miami, Florida, and gunnery training at schools at Kingman and Tucson, Arizona and Lincoln, Nebraska as a waist gunner in a B-24 Liberator.  Peter was assigned to the 779^th Bomber Squadron, 464th Bomb Group. 

Peter’s Bomb Group was sent overseas in February 1944, to Africa; Oudna, Tunisia. After additional training, the group flew to a temporary base in Italy, and flew their first combat mission on April 30^th.  Peter’s unit then moved to its permanent base at Pantanella, Italy, on June 1^st.

 

 

On a mission against the Benzol Plant, at Linz, Austria, on November 15^th, Peter’s B-24 was shot down.

Sergeant Peter Garyga was Killed In Action on November 15, 1944.

 

Peter is remembered on the Tablets of the Missing in Action or Buried at Sea at the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery, Nettuno, Italy.

 

 

Peter received the Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster (in lieu of a second Air Medal) and Purple Heart.

A memorial Mass was observed on Thursday, February 14, 1946, at St. Peter and St. Paul Ukrainian church in his memory.