This Memorial Day, Remember Fallen Soldiers Who Served Our Nation

By Carissa Krautscheid

This week, many of us enjoy a holiday weekend as the country commemorates Memorial Day. In 1971, Memorial Day became recognized as a federal holiday. For many, the last Monday in May kicks off summer vacations, while retail chains use the extended weekend to lure shoppers with discounts. Instead, the day ought to be one of remembrance and reflection, and let’s hope: prayer. For families who have lost a loved one while serving in the United States military, the day is somber and yet another reminder that their soldier is gone from this earthly life.  

Theresa Bankert was 10 years old when her brother, John Delozier joined the military. After Delozier graduated from Salpointe Catholic High School in 1966, he enlisted in the U.S. Marines, “Serving his country was very important to my brother,” Bankert recalls.  

John Delozier was not the first in his family to serve in the U.S. military. He followed in the footsteps of both his biological father who served in the Army and his stepfather, Casimer Piotrowski, who served in the Army and then the Air Force.  

Though half-siblings, Bankert says she and Delozier never felt any difference. Theresa remembers her brother’s sense of humor “John was my protector, my big brother,” she said. 

While in the Marines, Delozier wrote two letters home and called his parents a few times. Then at the age of 19, one month after boot camp, Delozier received orders deploying him to Vietnam. Weeks later, a few days after Christmas, Delozier was killed in action. 

It was December 29, 1967, "I was at home with my dad on the day we found out John had been killed,” Theresa remembers. “Mom was still at work and a Marine came to the door. It was all a blur after that. I was only 11 years old.” 

The family planned the funeral for their son and brother while carefully navigating the protocol of the U.S. military. The Vietnam War, highly controversial and the first to be televised further complicated the family’s grief. They struggled to manage their heartache, all the while leaning on God and their Catholic faith for understanding. Delozier was buried at South Lawn Cemetery in Tucson because it was the only cemetery at the time that accommodated military honors. All that Bankert remembers of her brother’s funeral is the gun salute and flag folding.  

Bankert says their mother’s heartache never seemed to ease but she seemed to find comfort in volunteer activities especially the Gold Star Mother’s organization. Sara Delozier Piotrowski recently turned 100 years old. Though her memory and conversation are limited, Bankert says she knows her mother still very much holds memories of her son. In 2019, John Delozier was featured in the Veterans’ Heritage Project and the Piotrowski family was the first to be interviewed as a Gold Star Family. Though long overdue and decades after his death, Bankert says the magazine feature was a touching tribute to her big brother.  

John Delozier never married, nor did he have children. His legacy though is remembered by his sister and the nieces and nephews he didn’t get to meet. Bankert says by sharing stories and pictures they honor their brave Marine.  

Bankert’s family has been committed to Catholic education for generations. Her mother attended Catholic school and Bankert went to school at Our Mother of Sorrows where her family has been involved since its construction and Bankert served on the Care for Creation Committee. Her children continued the Catholic school tradition. Brandon and Stefan are Lancer alumni from 2005 and 2007 respectively. Bankert served on parent committees at Salpointe where she worked for many years. Her son, Brandon, lives in Tucson with his wife Jennifer; their two children attend Saints Peter and Paul Catholic School, where Bankert had worked for several years. 

“The commitment to serve our nation continues. My husband served in the Air Force and achieved the rank of Staff Sergeant. Our youngest son, Stefan Bankert, is a Sergeant stationed in San Antonio at Fort Sam Houston. 

“To me,” shared Bankert, “Memorial Day means honoring those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom, especially my brother Johnny. We are proud to be a Gold Star Family.” 
  Memorial Day is a day to remember and honor the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. Military. Unfortunately, many often forget its meaning and the sacrifice behind it, so today take a moment to say a prayer for the fallen servicemen and women and the families that miss them each and every day. 

Theresa Bankert with her mother, Sara Delozier Piotrowski at The Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall when it was in Oro Valley, AZ.