Master Sergeant Lou Sliazis worked for me for 5 plus years as the Senior Non Commissioned Officer of the 78th Division Military Police Team at Fort Dix, New Jersey. His expertise was Prisoner of War (POW) operations and he was a true acknowledged expert on the subject. His combination of integrity, determination, enthusiasm and sheer grit made him one of the finest soldiers and persons that I ever worked with. Twice I submitted awards for his achievements and both times the awards were made to him. But if you ever thought that I was a character, then you never met Lou.
He was born in Lithuania but God never made a better American. He hated the Soviet Union with a passion. While most of it is gone now, at one time his basement and garage was a veritable storehouse of Russian military equipment from World War II.
With his stocky build, bald head, and flowing mustache, Lou was the very embodiment of a Cossack. As a result, he - and his stuff - were always in demand for reenactments and movies. Sometimes a senior officer would come up to me and complain that his mustache wasn't regulation; my usual response was "Do you want to take it up with him?" and the subject was always dropped.
His wife Karen of 60 plus years has a special place in heaven for putting up with Lou for all those years.
America lost one of its finest sons this past Sunday.
