Casimir A. Burczyk was born in Chicago, Illinois on February 23, 1920. His parents, Thomas and Tekla, were both full-blooded Poles. While he was still young, Burczyk's family moved to Racine, Wisconsin and he attended local schools there. Upon graduation from high school he enrolled at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he graduated with a degree in chemical engineering in 1942.
He briefly worked for National Aniline and Chemical Company in Buffalo before entering the Army Air Force in July 1943. He was commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant and eventually received a promotion to 1st lieutenant. He received stateside training and in early 1945 took a photo interpretation course. In April 1945 he was sent to the South Pacific and in mid-May he arrived on Iwo Jima as part of the 21st Fighter Squadron. His primary duty was interpretation of photographs coming back from Japan. He returned to the states in April 1946 and was discharged in June.
He worked for Dow Chemical in Michigan following the war and married Mary Lou Schaefer in 1949. The couple had four children and moved to Monona, Wisconsin where Burczyk was employed by Oscar Meyer. He retired in 1985 and passed away at his home on December 31, 1995.
