From Poland to Pittsburgh: an Airman's journey

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Joseph E. Bridge
  • 911th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
Maj. Zenon Bochnak, chaplain of the Pittsburgh International Airport Air Reserve Station, followed a long and arduous route to the world's greatest Air Force. From living under the former communist Soviet Union in Poland to moving to his newly adopted home in America, his experiences triggered a turning point that led him on a path to the 911th Airlift Wing.

Bochnak was born in Bukowsko, a small village in southern Poland that suffered major damage during WWII. Because of his hometown's small size, he has some very warm memories of growing up in Poland.

"My neighborhood was very close," said Bochnak. "You called everyone uncle and aunt. If you misbehaved, someone stepped in and corrected you. They then told your parents, who would give you a second whooping when you got home."

While Bochnak has some good memories, there are some that are not nearly so pleasant, especially living under Communist rule. Things that were commonplace in the United States were not nearly as prevalent there.

"They tried to keep all information undercover, so families had to wait 20 years for a phone," he said. "We could not have any communication because you could then share information."

The people of Poland living under Communist rule didn't have access to the luxuries that people take for granted in America today. However, if there was one thing that the Communists could not take away from them, it was their faith.

"You could deprive the people of many material things, but the one thing the Communists failed to take away was our faith," said Bochnak. "It was impossible to do because people were willing to die for it, and they didn't want that messy of a situation."

That faith was so deeply ingrained in his heart that he knew he wanted to be a part of it from a very young age. At age 13, on a Tuesday evening, he walked into the sacristy and knew even before the priest suggested it that he would become a priest himself.

"I remember it vividly," he said. "It was like being set on fire and I knew internally what my path was, what my destination was."

After moving to the U.S. some years later and following his goal to become an ordained priest, Bochnak reached another major turning point in his life.

"Upon seeing the first Gulf War on CNN, I felt a second calling: a desire to be with those who defend freedom," he said. "Freedom was very important to me because of all the things that this country afforded me. I felt like I needed to contribute or pay back."

He then decided to pursue a commission and joined the United States military.

Bochnak started out in the Navy where he served for three years before transferring to the Air Force in 2001. He served multiple deployments, during which he made history.

He became the first Air Force chaplain to serve in Baghdad during his first deployment in 2003. In 2009, he deployed to eastern Afghanistan attached to the famous 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions of the Army. Finally, during his last deployment in 2012, he became the very last Air Force chaplain to leave Baghdad.

After a long career, Bochnak has come to the 911th AW to serve as the base chaplain.

While Bochnak's path into the Air Force was quite different from most, to him it was a calling. It's what he feels he was meant to do.

"Freedom means so much to me because we did not have freedom growing up," said Bochnak. "It was a smart decision to come here because I love this country."