World War II veteran led life of a Marine

For Jay Kacsan, the axiom "once a Marine, always a Marine" was a reality.

"Dad saw combat in Iwo Jima, Guam, Guadalcanal and Okinawa" as a Marine during World War II, said his son, retired Army ReserveCol. John Kacsan. "Of the 150 men in his detachment, there were only 12 left after the fighting ended."

John Paul "Jay" Kacsan, of North Versailles, a retired supervisor at U.S. Steel's National Tube Works in McKeesport, died Sunday, June 4, 2006, at his home. He was 89.

"Dad, by his service and sacrifice, made my sisters and myself believe in our country and showed us the meaning of being dedicated to our country and our family," John Kacsan said.

In 1999, Mr. Kacsan was named honorary past national commandant of the Marine Corps League, an award given to only 11 other Marine veterans.

After his discharge in 1946, Mr. Kacsan continued to expound on the virtues of the corps by writing articles on the various aspects of Marine service for state and national publications.

As part of his mission to honor the Marine Corps and all servicemen, Mr. Kacsan assisted in organizing the Marine Corps League's Mon Valley Detachment and the McKeesport Allied Veterans Association.

In 1950, he married Dorothy Stasko, of Glassport, whom he met while they both were employed in the offices of National Tube.

"Mom picked up a lot of Dad's Marine traits," said their son. "Dad and Mom never hollered at us. All they had to do was give us that drill instructor's look and we knew what we had to do."

Mr. Kacsan recruited Marine veterans for membership in the league.

"We never missed a Marine Corps League convention," said his daughter, Marsha Kacsan.

She recalled growing up with her brother, John, and sisters, Jane and Paula, in a family where ''we ate and slept the Marines.''

"At dinner, we each had our seat at the table. We ate everything that Mom put on our plates. And you were never excused until everyone was finished."

John Kacsan said many of the Marine traditions, such as the marches and salutes that he observed as a boy, helped him during his 28 years -- including active duty during Operation Desert Storm -- as an officer in the Army Reserve.

"Being that I learned everything that there was to learn on the Marines, I opted to join the Army for a better balance of serving my country, which was the cornerstone of my Dad's life," he said. "I even encouraged my son, Brian, who is serving in the Air Force and saw service in Afghanistan, to go into another branch of the service to expand his knowledge of the military."

Born and raised in McKeesport, Mr. Kacsan was one of four children of John and Mary Szpakowska Kacsan, who emigrated from Poland.

He is survived by his wife, Dorothy F. Stasko Kacsan; son, John Paul Kacsan Jr., of Florida; three daughters, Jane Thomas, of New Jersey, Paula M. Sanner, of North Huntingdon, Westmoreland County, and Marsha A. Kacsan, of Avondale, Chester County; five grandchildren; and a brother, Mike Kacsan, of North Versailles.

He was predeceased by a sister, Mary Burchell, and a brother, Frank Kacsan.

Visitation will be from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. today and Friday at the Jaycox-Jaworski Funeral Home Inc., 2703 O'Neil Blvd., McKeesport.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 12:15 p.m. Saturday in St. Robert Bellarmine Church, East McKeesport.

Interment with military honors will follow in New St. Joseph Cemetery, North Versailles.