Profiles in Sacrifice: Cpl. Patrick Mazzie and Pvt. Joseph A. Glassen
By the spring of 1945 Marie Mazzie, who was just 26-years-old, had lost her husband, Cpl. Patrick Mazzie, and her only brother, Pvt. Joseph A. Glassen, to World War II. Joseph had been killed near Anzio, Italy on June 1, 1944, and Patrick died on April 11, 1945 from machine gun fire near Siegberg, Germany. Still reeling from these deaths, Marie gave birth to a daughter, Patricia, just weeks after her husband was killed. In mere moments, Marie went from a wife to a widow and single mother.
Patrick had just returned to combat as a replacement troop 12 days before he was killed. In this short time, he still managed to write loving letters to Marie. In his letters, he reminisced about their times together. He talked about their self-consuming love that made the rest of the world fade away. He wrote about his excitement for the arrival of their future child. Patrick desperately missed his life and family in the United States. In a letter dated, April 10, 1944, the day before his death, he wrote: “I can’t stay away from you any length of time before I get homesick. I miss you terribly, but maybe this war will end soon and I’ll be coming home before you know it.”
And by the following month, when most Americans were celebrating Victory in Europe Day, Marie was receiving letters from Army chaplains, offering words of consolation for her loss. In a letter dated May 14, 1945 Army Chaplain Ellis D. Lutz wrote to Marie: “His sacrifice will be an incentive to us in our struggle to maintain the principles of freedom, honor and truth.”
These thoughtful words did not change the hard reality that Marie faced. She had a newborn child at home, who would never know her father, and still, Marie had to decide where she wanted Patrick to be buried.
“My mother told me they could not bear the grief of going through it again,” said Patricia Rathje as she recounted her mother’s decision for overseas burial. The family opted for Patrick and Joseph to be buried side-by-side in Netherlands American Cemetery. For decades, Patricia knew little about her dad.
“I grew up with a wall of silence,” said Patricia. “I didn’t know if he liked coffee, or if he liked ice cream. I know he had nice penmanship. His favorite book was a Tree Grows in Brooklyn. But these are the facts. That’s all I know.” More than 60 years after her father’s death, her connection with him began to change.
Patricia made her first visit to Netherlands American Cemetery in 2005. “This was the first time I had ever been in his presence. I cried for the very first time in my life for my father,” said Patricia. “It was at this point that I decided to make him part of my life.” She had traveled to the cemetery as part of the American World War II Orphans Network (AWON), a group of men and women that had all lost parents during the war.
Her circle of friends expanded even further when she met the Dutch families that have adopted her father and her uncle’s gravesites. By adopting gravesites, local citizens promise to honor and carry on the memory of these Americans. They do this by laying flowers, and by passing down stories to their children and grandchildren of the American armed forces that helped liberate Netherlands. “Both of my adopters have promised me that their children will also take care of the grave,” said Patricia. The Dutch gentleman that adopted Patrick’s headstone cared for it until his death at age 95. Now, his daughter has taken on the responsibility. “They go there on a routine basis,” said Patricia. “They are so grateful for their liberation.”
This Memorial Day weekend, thousands of Dutch citizens will gather at the cemetery, along with Patricia and more than 50 members of AWON, to remember and honor the sacrifices made seven decades ago in the fight to liberate Europe. “If you forget the past, the future is in jeopardy,” said Patricia.
Follow along on their journey Memorial Day weekend via the ABMC website, Facebook, and Instagram as they return to Netherlands American Cemetery.
About ABMC
Established in 1923 by Congress, ABMC is a U.S. government agency charged with commemorating the service, achievements and sacrifice of the U.S. Armed Forces where they have served overseas since 1917. ABMC administers our nation’s overseas commemorative cemeteries and federal memorials. For more information visit www.abmc.gov, or connect with us on Facebook, Youtube or Instagram.