In Memory of Kendall B. Orlomoski lost to Agent Orange in 2003.

In Memory of my father, United States Air Force Retired Senior Master Sgt Kendall B. Orlomoski, who lost his courageous battle with Agent Orange on 24 February 2003.

My father joined the Air Force as a young teenager before he had even completed high school and eventually went on to not only get his GED but to take courses through the Community College of the Air Force and other colleges as he advanced through the ranks. He served proudly for over 20 years as a jet aircraft mechanic and First Sergeant before retiring in 1974. During his time in the service my father saw action in both Korea and Vietnam; he was stationed at Da Nang Air Force Base from 1966 to 1967. He returned home with a Bronze Star for action that he took removing planes from the flight-line during one of the many bombings they experienced along with a Purple Heart for the shrapnel he took in his leg during that process as well as exposure to Agent Orange.

For years my Dad battled Type II Diabetes and Hypertension and in 1997 he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. He fought the cancer valiantly and won many battles but eventually lost the war on a very cold and dark February day. My mother, my brothers, and I miss him very much though none as much as my mom who was my dad’s true soul-mate and who supported him during every step of his military career and every step of the way until the day he died.

Agent Orange not only broke our hearts but cheated us all out of time as it left a gaping hole where a beloved husband, father, and grandfather once was.

Linda Orlomoski