BUFFALO, N.Y. — A special tribute to a fallen Western New York soldier was held Saturday morning at the Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park.
That's where U.S. Rep. Brian Higgins honored the sacrifice and service of Lance Corporal Frederick Ziomek, whose name was added to the Western New York Vietnam Veterans Monument.
While serving in Vietnam for eight months, he suffered from malaria and died at the age of 19. He wasn't with his unit, so his name was not originally listed with the fallen troops on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.
"Beginning in the 1980s, his family set out to change that," Higgins said. "After years of family advocacy and persistence, Lance Corporal Ziomek's name was finally inscribed on the Washington memorial on September 15, 2020."
Added Steve Banko, a decorated Vietnam veteran: "You brought him home. He now resides among the hundreds of heroes on this wall."
Ziomek is a native of Cheektowaga.
RELATED VIDEO: