Title
Resolution naming the Stratmore Street Park as “Andrew Joseph Kukuruda” Park.
(Public Hearing held 10/30/19)
Body
WHEREAS, Andrew Joseph Kukuruda was born on December 3, 1950 and was raised in the Crafton Heights neighborhood of Pittsburgh; and,
WHEREAS, Andy attended Schaeffer Elementary School and graduated from then Langley High School, on June 10, 1968. He loved baseball and was a catcher on a Little League Team for the Crafton Heights Baseball Association managed by his stepfather, John Senn. While at Langley, he became an outstanding swimmer on the varsity swim team; and,
WHEREAS, after high school graduation, Andy volunteered for the Marine Corps where his first tour of duty began on January 22, 1969 as a machine gunner in Vietnam; and,
WHEREAS, Andy spent 51 days in Vietnam and saw a lot of combat, but never lived to tell about it. On March 14, 1969, Andy died from a gunshot wound to the head trying to drag a fellow Marine to safety. He was 19 years old; and
WHEREAS, the night before his death, Andy and his unit were involved in hand to hand combat with a unit from the North Vietnamese Army at Landing Zone Sierra. The North Vietnamese survivors ambushed Andy’s unit the very next day; and,
WHEREAS, Lt. Michael McKeehen, who was with Andy when he died, recommended him for the Bronze Star with Combat V the night before he went into combat.
The Council of the City of Pittsburgh hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. The Mayor and Director of Public Works are hereby authorized and directed to name the Stratmore Street Park in Crafton Heights, the “Andrew Joseph Kukuruda” Park , Effective September 1st 2019.