6/21/23 – 10/30/44
Stanley was a Petty Officer 3rd Class U.S. Navy Reserve, Coxswain (steers the ship).
Stan was a Purple Heart recipient.
Stan was born June 21, 1923 to Emily and Andrew Brzozowski and grew up with his sisters: Natalie, Emily, Libby, Sophie, & Helen (all were born in their home at Grandview Avenue & Houston Street by Dr. Crowther, but Helen was born in Crozer Hospital).
Stan attended Washington Grammar School at the southwest corner of Edgmont Avenue & Brookhaven Road.
Before 1960, if you lived in Brookhaven, you had your choice of high schools to attend, Chester, Eddystone, Media, or Nether Providence.
He worked at Sun Shipbuilding & Drydock Co. before enlisting (did he enlist or was he drafted?) in the Navy on December 1, 1942. He received his “boot” training in Newport R.I. and advanced gunnery training aboard a Battleship.
Stan spent 18 months in the South Pacific theater aboard the USS Belleau Wood (cvl-24), an aircraft carrier named after a WWI battle where the US Forces defeated German troops after 4 weeks of intense fighting.
The Belleau Wood participated in many actions while Stanley was on board including raids on the Wake Islands & the Gilbert Island invasions & the battle of the Philippine Sea
On October 30th, 1944 just after noon, a Japanese kamikaze dove on the USS Belleau Wood & crashed into the light carrier’s flight deck striking 11 fully loaded Hellcats. The crew battled fires from burning explosions and extended fires for hours.
COX Stanley Brzozowski was among the 92 dead.