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DR. JOHN C. TRAKAS |
John Trakas, WWII hero, prominent Boston doctor
Dr. John C. Trakas, an only son of Greek immigrants who became a US Army surgeon, World War II hero, and doctor to thousands of Bostonians, died on June 6, the 65th anniversary of D-Day, at age 91.
"Lieutenant Colonel Trakas made his mark in Army medicine and will always be respected for his service and courage," said Army Surgeon General Eric B. Schoomaker in a letter to Dr. Trakas's family.
Schoomaker called Dr. Trakas "a true hero of US Army Medicine."
Dr. Trakas, of Milton, who was awarded the Bronze Star for saving about a dozen wounded soldiers from being captured by the Nazis during the Battle of the Bulge, died at the Hebrew Rehabilitation Center in Roslindale. He suffered from pneumonia and other complications following surgery for injuries from a fall.
Dr. Trakas, who grew up in Boston's South End, spoke no English when he entered first grade in the 1920s, according to his family.
He learned quickly. At age 10, he became a bat boy for the Boston Red Sox and later earned his way into the Boston Latin School and Harvard.
He graduated from Harvard Medical School in 1942.
"In addition to the love for his family - which was foremost in his heart - he held equal love for two nations - his parents' nation of Greece and the country that let him live the American dream," said his son-in-law, Stephen Acerra of Milton.
Dr. Trakas spent 50 years in medicine and worked in several Boston hospitals. He was the former chief of the ear, nose, and throat department at Children's Hospital in Boston and St. Elizabeth's Medical Center in Brighton.
"He was the most kind and humble individual I have ever met in my life," Accera said.
Dr. Trakas immediately joined the Army after graduating from medical school and was assigned to the Ninth Armored Tank Division, Company C, Second Armored Medical Battalion.
He was sent to war in Europe in 1943.
In December 1944, Dr. Trakas was caring for the sick and wounded in a makeshift hospital in Baston, Belgium, when the company received orders to move out. The Germans were on the way.
Dr. Trakas stayed with his patients until he received orders to take everyone deeper into France.
George Billias, of Worcester, who was Dr. Trakas's medical administrative officer during the war, said there were not enough ambulances to transport the wounded.
"Johnny commandeered a truck on his own authority and piled in our wounded," said Billias, now 89 and a retired Clark University history professor. "This is while fighting is going on and shelling is going on around us. We finally got out of Baston and joined our division. He's really a hero."
Dr. Trakas also won commendations for his actions during other battles. He tended to the wounded during the battle over the last bridge left standing over the Rhine, the Battle at Remagen, in 1945.
Dr. Trakas leaves his wife, Anne (Poulos); two sons, Christopher J. of Milton and Nicholas J. of Westwood; a daughter, Jennifer M. Trakas-Acerra of Milton; a sister, Mary Karres of Charlotte, N.C.; and two grandchildren.
A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. today in Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral of New England in Boston.
© Copyright 2009 Globe Newspaper Company.
