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to remember
Mrizek, Emil August, Lt Col.
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Contact Info
Home Town Cicero, IL
Last Address Columbia, MO
Date of Passing Apr 30, 2011
Location of Interment Bohemian National Cemetery (VA) - Chicago, Illinois
August 28, 1916 - April 30, 2011 COLUMBIA, MO Emil August Mrizek, 94, of Columbia, Missouri, passed away on Saturday, April 30, 2011 at the University Hospital.
Emil was born on August 28, 1916 in Cicero, Illinois, the son of the late Rudolph and Ella Spevacek Mrizek. He was united in marriage with Rose-Marie Marecek, October 9, 1943 in Chicago, Illinois.
He served during WWII, flying 60 missions in the Aleutian Islands as a P-38 Pilot. Upon returning from overseas, he trained P-38 pilots. He continued to serve in the Air Force Reserves until retirement as a Lieutenant Colonel. During his Air Force career he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal, American Campaign, Asiatic Pacific Theatre, American Defense, and Victory Medals.
As a civilian, his longest employment was Vice-President of Chase Products Company, Westchester, Illinois. Emil was a 50+ year Mason member, a Shriner, a longtime member of the Lions Club and the Odd Fellows. He served in leadership positions in all of these organizations. He loved to golf and square dance.
In addition to his wife of 67 years, Rose-Marie, survivors include a son, David Mrizek, wife Ann of San Antonio, Texas; a daughter, Dr. Susan Marie Harmon, husband Dr. Jim Harmon of Edmond, Oklahoma; a brother, Bill Mrizek of Illinois; seven grandchildren; and nine great-grandchildren. He was also preceded in death by two brothers.
The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the military aviation arm of the United States of America between 1926 and 1941. The statutory administrative forerunner of the United States Air Force, it was renamed from the earlier United States Army Air Service on 2 July 1926 and part of the larger United States Army. The Air Corps was the immediate predecessor of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF), established on 20 June 1941. Although discontinued as an administrative echelon during World War II, the Air Corps (AC) remained as one of the combat arms of the Army until 1947, when it was legally abolished by legislation establishing the Department of the Air Force.
The Air Corps was renamed by the United States Congress largely as a compromise between the advocates of a separate air arm and those of the traditionalist Army high command who viewed the aviation arm as an auxiliary branch to support the ground forces. Although its members worked to promote the concept of air power and an autonomous air force between the years between the world wars, its primary purpose by Army policy remained support of ground forces rather than independent operations.
On 1 March 1935, still struggling with the issue of a separate air arm, the Army activated the General Headquarters Air Force for centralized control of aviation combat units within the continental United States, separate from but coordinate with the Air Corps. The separation of the Air Corps from control of its combat units caused problems of unity of command that became more acute as the Air Corps enlarged in preparation for World War II. This was resolved by the creation of the Army Air Forces (AAF), making both organizations subordinate to the new higher echelon.
The Air Corps ceased to have an administrative structure after 9 March 1942, but as "the permanent statutory organization of the air arm, and the principal component of the Army Air Forces," the overwhelming majority of personnel assigned to the AAF were members of the Air Corps.
