Richard Sroka

Richard Marion Sroka was born March 25, 1938, in Buffalo, New York to Hattie and Stanley Sroka, Polish immigrants who had come to the United States a few years prior. He grew up on the eastside in the old Polish community within the city, living with his parents, three brothers, and two sisters. The Sroka family was from a strong religious background, thus the use of Marion as his middle name to symbolize the Virgin Mary. The Srokas were also a military family which had been involved in the more notable wars of the time. Richard’s father was a soldier in World War I and his brothers, Eugene and Thaddeus, fought in the Second World War.

In 1955-1959, Richard attended St. Bonaventure University as a journalism major, gaining honor student status by the end of his four-years there. He was also on the Dean's List for the majority of his semesters in attendance. While Richard was attending his undergraduate university, he involved himself in a wide range of clubs and associations. First, he was a part of the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC), being named top cadet officer and was appointed as a student commanding officer of the 700-man unit, ranking him as cadet colonel. He also received multiple military achievement awards for his services while participating in the program. On top of his ROTC obligations, Sroka was a part of the Garrett Theater as the lead in Girl Crazy alongside Ann Kelly, an editor for the Bona Venture, and a member of the Glee Club, and the Men's and Mixed Choirs. He later became a member of the Third Order of St. Francis and was accepted into the Delta Epsilon Sigma Honor Society.

After receiving his undergraduate degree from St. Bonaventure, Sroka went to study at the University of Chicago, where he earned a master's degree in international relations. While attending the university, he met his future wife, Mary Sabo, a sophomore at Marycrest College while on assignment in Iowa. They went about three years as a long distance couple until 1963, when they were able to get married. Soon after they were wedded in November 1963, Richard was transferred to Monterey, California because of his orders to report to Vietnam. There he would be located at the Army Language Institute at Presidio in order to learn Vietnamese before his departure. Just ten days before Sroka was to deploy for Vietnam, his wife gave birth to their first child, Sara Jean. Sroka left on June 17, 1964

On July 13, 1964, about one month into his deployment, Sroka was securing the Cambodian border, just outside of Saigon, with a convoy of men, when tragedy struck. While performing their duties, Sroka and his men were ambushed by a Vietnamese guerilla squad, also known as the Viet Cong. By the end of the fight, sixteen Vietnamese troops were killed, as well as Sroka and two of his fellow soldiers. Sroka passed at the age of 26 from multiple fragmentation wounds.

Though Sroka was young, his impression reigned on. He was honored at his alma mater, St. Bonaventure University, as part of their Veterans Memorial located on campus, as well as “The Wall” in Washington, DC. It is stated that he was, "...one of the first men from Western New York to die in the Vietnam War."-The Wall, Washington, DC. His name is located on Panel 01E-line 58, forever engraved into the history of the United States.

(Pictured: Richard Sroka's ROTC photo, Back Row, first on the right)

Created by Samantha Gibson, Archival Intern

St. Bonaventure University Biographies

Bonaventure Almuni Tell Their Stories

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