Felix Shostak Abandoned Life As A Chef To Defend American Freedom
An American World War II soldier had been missing for 81 years, but his remains have now been laid to rest — with full military honors.
Staff Sergeant Felix John Shostak, affectionately known as “Phil” by his family, died at the age of 24 on August 18, 1944, in Northern France, according to his obituary.
This fact was not known to his surviving family until recently, and the story of how his remains were found is amazing.
About Felix Shostak
After graduating with the class of 1938 from Proctor High School in Proctor, Vermont, Shostak studied culinary arts to become a chef.
By the time the United States was brought into World War II with the attack on Pearl Harbor, he was working at Rutland Restaurant. Five months after Japan’s surprise attack, he decided to enlist in the U.S. Army Air Corp.
During the funeral held for Shostak on June 14, Shostak’s eldest nephew recalled that he grew up knowing his uncle had enlisted, telling his father, “’How can I allow my brothers to go to the front lines to be killed, while I hide in the kitchen?’”
Serving as a Top Turret Gunner on the B-24H “Bolicat” with the 860th Bomber Squadron, 493rd Bomber Group, his time in the war led him to a fateful day: August 18, 1944.
While preparing to bomb a German airfield in Northern France that day, Shostak’s plane “was hit by enemy flak, causing the plane to catch fire and crash near Boussicourt, France,” his obituary stated. Only one soldier onboard the plane survived, with the other eight crew members, including SS Shostak, being presumed dead.
However, he was declared “missing in action” by the U.S. Army.
Shostak was awarded the Air Medal with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters as well as the Purple Heart.
Finding Felix Shostak’s Remains
Since the end of the war, Shostak has been listed on the Tablets of the Missing at the Ardennes American Cemetery and Memorial in Neupré, Belgium.
There, chiseled in stone, the memorial reads:
“Here are recorded the names of Americans who gave their lives in the service of their country and who sleep in unknown graves.”
In 2007, at the site of his downed airplane, Shostak’s dog tags and his Proctor High class ring were found. These were sent to his surviving family in Vermont in 2008, but that wasn’t the end of the journey.
By 2018, investigators with the American Graves Registration Command, Army Quartermaster Corps, found “possible remains along with other materials believed to be associated with” his plane. DNA testing was able to match the remains to Shostak by 2023.
“It was just a surprise,” Carol Shostak, his niece, said in an interview with NBC5. “I thought that they may have stopped, you know, looking after 2008.”
Near the end of his eulogy, Shostak’s eldest nephew, Alan, said, ”Although I did not know him, I learned to love him. Thank you, Felix. We love you.”
Now that Shostak has been found, a rosette will be added next to his name at the Tablets of the Missing, indicating he has been accounted for.
