Name: Raymond KOZIK
Rank / Rating: S1-Seaman First Class
Service #: 653 85 31
DOB: Sep 01, 1918
From: Cairnbrook, PA
Parents:
Went Aboard: Sep 01, 1943
Age When Ship Went Down: 26 years, 10 months, 29 days
Spouse:
Children:
Grandchildren:
Bio Submitted By: David Hurst, The Tribune Democrat; Introduction - Carl Fahnestock
Date Posted:

Seaman First Class Raymond Kozik was born in Cairnbrook (Somerset County), Pennsylvania on September 01, 1918. His hometown is just a few miles from Central City, Pennsylvania. As a WWII hero, who sacrificed his life for his country, it is appropriate that his sacrifice was honored by the naming of a memorial bridge in his honor. Nearly 40 members of Kozik’s family joined PennDOT (Pennsylvania Department of Transportation) personnel, members of Central City VFW Post 7457 and several local and regional government employees attended the dedication of the Raymond Kozik Memorial Bridge. As an aside, it is coincidentally appropriate that the bridge is regionally just miles from another dedicated Memorial to heroes which honors 40 men and women who perished in the crash of a plane in Stoystown, Pennsylvania. Like Raymond Kozik, those who lost their lives in Stoystown gave their lives defending freedom and were memorialized at the site of the 911 Flight 93 National Memorial. What follows is a November 02, 2024 USS Indianapolis Facebook Account posting which describes the details of the Raymond Kozik Memorial Bridge dedication ceremony:

CENTRAL CITY, Pa. - Navy Seaman First Class Raymond Kozik had just completed a mission designed to end World War II, U.S. Navy Fire Controlman First Class Darrel Searer said. Kozik and nearly 1,200 sailors aboard USS Indianapolis delivered the uranium for “Little Boy,” the atomic bomb that would be dropped on Hiroshima one week later - Aug. 6, 1945. But Kozik, of Cairnbrook, and approximately 900 fellow seamen never escaped the Philippine Sea after completing their secret task. The ship was struck by two torpedoes fired by a Japanese submarine, ultimately claiming 879 lives. At least 300 of them, Kozik included, were never recovered, his cousin Maggie Ference said. On Friday - in Ference’s words - “his memory finally came home.” Nearly 40 members of Kozik’s family joined PennDOT and U.S. Navy officials, members of Central City VFW Post 7457 and Somerset County Commissioners Brian Fochtman and Irv Kimmel Jr. at a dedication of a Shade Township bridge in Kozik’s name. Signage was unveiled for the McGregor Avenue span, renaming it as the Seaman First Class Raymond Kozik Memorial Bridge. “He needs to live on forever,” state Rep. Carl Walker Metzgar, R-Somerset, said, explaining why the effort to legally rename the bridge was so worthwhile. “We name bridges for heroes” - and so that future generations will trace Kozik’s path and recognize his sacrifice, Metzgar said. Shade-Central City Historical Society spearheaded the effort to memorialize Kozik. Central City VFW Post 7457 hosted the event, with its honor guard playing taps and firing a rifle salute in Kozik’s memory. STORY BY David Hurst, The Tribune Democrat The photo posted below was taken on the day of the Bridge Dedication Ceremony and includes State Rep Carl Walker Metzgar (at center-right) standing alongside descendants of the Kozik family to mark the renaming of the Raymond Kozik Memorial Bridge.