Decorated war veteran Irving Schwartz, 84, dies

World War II Silver Star medal recipient Irving I. "Zeke" Schwartz, of Henderson, died Friday of complications from cancer, his family said. He was 84.

Schwartz received the Silver Star medal for gallantry in action on Feb. 18, 1945, near Bliesbrucken, Germany.

While his unit was pinned down by machine gun fire, he rose from his foxhole from time to time to draw the fire to his location. This enabled other soldiers to attack the machine gun nest and capture dozens of prisoners.

"As a result of his courage and initiative, 46 enemy surrendered," the citation reads. "His outstanding gallantry is in accord with the finest traditions of the military service."

In an interview last year, Schwartz told the Review-Journal that after a few rounds missed him, he realized that the attacking machine gunner who was firing from an uphill location, couldn't point the gun at a low enough angle to hit him. As such, by standing up he was able to draw the fire toward him so that other riflemen in the 63rd Infantry Division could zero in on the target.

He risked his life at least twice to save others in combat and was later awarded a Bronze Star medal for valor for rescuing a wounded soldier who was trapped in a crossfire in an open field.

Schwartz never considered himself a hero because heroes, he said, are the soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen who made the ultimate sacrifice. Bestowing the types of honors that require congressional action, such as the naming of post offices, he said, "are for people who have really done something big for their country."

His wife of 62 years, Evelyn Schwartz, said her husband "always did his job. He said he didn't believe in heroes. Instead, you have to do what you have to do."

Nevertheless, his youngest daughter, Randy Jones, said her father was "a hero because I always felt safe wherever he was."

"He was so commanding and protecting. He was a double-edged sword," she said. "You didn't want to be on his bad side. Yet, he was charming and had an incredible sense of humor."

Irving Isaac Schwartz was born Dec. 22, 1924, in Manhattan, N.Y. Known as "Zeke," he graduated from Seward Park High School in 1943.

After high school, he tried to join the Army to become a pilot but was rejected even though he was one of the top few finalists hoping to advance to training.

Later, on May 11, 1943, he entered active duty as an Army draftee and was sent to central Europe following training to become a rifleman. He served in Normandy, France and Germany as a combat infantryman with Company L, 253rd Infantry Regiment, 63rd Infantry Division while holding the ranks of private and private first class. He was promoted to sergeant before his honorable discharge in October 1945.

After the war, he returned to New York and got a job sweeping floors and running errands for a printing business. After a year's courtship, he married Evelyn Bernath in 1947 and continued to work in the printing business to learn the lithography trade. He worked 40 years in the field until retiring as general manager of Lincoln Graphics Arts, a large printing plant on Long Island, N.Y.

They moved to Henderson from New Jersey in 1996.

He is survived by his wife, Evelyn, of Henderson; daughter Penny Postlenek, of New Jersey; son, Steven Barbro, of Studio City, Calif.; daughter, Randy Jones, of McLean, Va.; seven grandchildren and two great grandchildren.

Family and friends will hold a graveside service for him 1 p.m. Monday at Palm Mortuary, 7600 S. Eastern Ave., Las Vegas.

Contact reporter Keith Rogers at krogers@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0308.