DRABIK, PETER EDWARD

Name: Peter Edward Drabik
Rank/Branch: United States Army/E3
Unit: 4th Inf Div
Date of Birth: 03 November 1947
Home City of Record: Union Bridge MD
Date of Loss: 24 September 1968
Country of Loss: South Vietnam
Loss Coordinates: 141145 North  1074851 East
Status (in 1973): Returnee
Category:
Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: Ground
Missions:
Other Personnel in Incident:
Refno:

Source: Compiled by P.O.W. NETWORK from one or more of the following: raw
data from U.S. Government agency sources, correspondence with POW/MIA
families, published sources, interviews.

REMARKS: 730316 RELEASED BY PRG

SOURCE: WE CAME HOME  copyright 1977
Captain and Mrs. Frederic A Wyatt (USNR Ret), Barbara Powers Wyatt, Editor
P.O.W. Publications, 10250 Moorpark St., Toluca Lake, CA 91602
Text is reproduced as found in the original publication (including date and
spelling errors).
UPDATE - 09/95 by the P.O.W. NETWORK, Skidmore, MO

PETER E. DRABIC
Sergeant- United States Army
Captured: September 24, 1968
Released: March 16, 1973

After graduating from Francis Scott Key High School, Eddie became a
maintenance clerk at Mitchell Transfer in Union Bridge, Maryland. In September
1968 at age 20, Eddie became a rifleman with the 4th Infantry Division in
Vietnam. Upon leaving Friendship International Airport his father gave him a
St. Christopher medal and told him that he knew it would bring him back.

Soon after Eddie's arrival in Vietnam, his family received three letters that
he had written the three days that his unit was in the field. The next day,
while his mother and sister were baking cookies, they received a message that
Eddie was missing in action. All that could be told them was that Eddie had
been out on a recon patrol but was pinned down by an ambush of the Viet Cong.
Eddie received a face wound, became separated from his group, and when the
patrol returned to the area, he had been captured by the Viet Cong.

Until his name appeared on the final POW list of those who were coming home,
no one knew whether Eddie was alive or dead. But, the family had never given
up their faith and belief that Eddie was coming home. Two shrines had burned
continuously and the family's reliance upon God helped them all through the
ordeal.

Eddie came home ready to use his car that had been waiting in the garage, to
ski and roller skate, and to romp with his beagle, Snoop, who had so missed
his master. Union Bridge had never known such a day as the day Eddie came
home.

November 1996
Peter Drabic resides in Maryland.