WILLIAMSON COUNTY, Texas — Williamson County commissioners proclaimed Tuesday "Archie Moczygemba Day" in honor of a local World War II veteran who turns 100 years old on July 4.
Moczygemba is a native Texan who served a total of 22 years, first as a U.S. marine and then as a member of the Army. He was among the first U.S. marines to enter Nagasaki after the atomic bomb in 1945.
Moczygemba began his service on Nov. 14, 1942. After basic training, he was sent to the Pacific, where he was a member of the First Defense Battalion. He was later assigned to the Second Marine Division.
Commissioners thanked him for his decades of service.
"I'm not the one deserving of it – the people that I served with as a combination, maybe. Yes, but as an individual? No. I had all kinds of experiences, most of them good. I feel very, very fortunate to have lived this long. I never expected to be around here in 100 years," Moczygemba said.
Moczygemba served all around the world. He has a map in his home with pins marking all of his stops.