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<p><em>Kenneth James Ratajczak </em>came from Indiana and from the big green Army machine. He had prior college and real Army experience when he was accepted for the USMA Preparatory School, also known as the “Poop School.” As recounted by his classmate Tom Rock, Ken had even gone to the Army Language School in Monterey, CA to learn Vietnamese. Those with real Army experience had a better insight of what the next four years would hold.</p>
<p>Ken was the oldest, wisest and most worldly of all our classmates and a font of knowledge, which he was willing to share to make the road travelled by the rest of us less filled with bumps and potholes. Ken could be counted on to make sense (as much as possible) of the world and turmoil we were going through in the summer of 1968, our summer of Beast Barracks. As recounted by Pete McDonald, who shared a tent with Ken at our Lake Frederick bivouac at the end of Beast, Ken had his goals established then. He was going to be a doctor, and he was going to start a band, both of which he accomplished.</p>
<p>During our cadet years, Ken’s love was making music, and he organized a band early in our plebe year, calling on classmates with musical talent, like Chris Kane, Pete McDonald, Mark Freshwater, Frank Czervak and Mark Eldridge. The band was called “Stained Soul,” and we were never sure if it was a holy connotation or a tribute to soul music. The band was very popular, and Ken managed the band very democratically, according to Pete. Ken was able to get a military van to travel to nearby colleges to play gigs off post, as well as at cadet hops. Who knew there were such good times back then? The band lasted until too many members had punishment tours for various rule infractions, which interfered with band activity. We all remember them playing on the beach at Camp Buckner, “the best summer of our lives.” Tom Kirk, Ken’s roommate in Company D-3, remembers him as the “go-to” guy for any problem, and he always had time for you.</p>
<p>Ken was born in South Bend, IN, graduated from a local Catholic high school and went to Indiana University intending to go into medicine. He took a detour, joined the Army, and entered West Point with the Class of 1972. He was an excellent student, and the Army decided to send him to medical school, back to IU, where it all began, culminating in an M.D. degree in 1977.</p>
<p>The Army commitment was paid off in various duty posts, and Ken did his radiology training at Fitzsimmons Army Medical Center with a utilization tour at Fort Dix, NJ afterward. He separated from the active Army but stayed in the Texas National Guard and the Army Reserve and retired as an O-6. He remained involved in military affairs and served as president of the Heart of Texas chapter of MOAA, the Military Officers Association of America.</p>
<p>After the Army, Ken practiced his radiology specialty in a number of locations before settling in Waco, TX in 2001. Shortly after moving to Waco, he met and married his wife, Anne. They travelled extensively, and Ken continued to make music, playing solo, duo and trio performances and forming the band “Brazos River Knights,” referring to the Brazos River that runs through Waco, along with a nod to the Knights of Columbus. Ken was a very proud Knight of Columbus, a Catholic fraternal organization.</p>
<p>Ken was deeply spiritual and served his community and his church as a faithful steward, playing a leadership role in St. Mary Church of the Assumption in Waco and in the Knights of Columbus. Many of his trips were in the form of a religious pilgrimage, visiting shrines in Mexico City, France, Portugal and Israel. One of his favorite accomplishments was traveling to all seven continents.</p>
<p>As a physician, Ken revered the sanctity of life and worked to protect the unborn in his community. He not only “talked the talk, but he walked the walk,” committing himself to play his part in defending the defenseless.</p>
<p>In his personal life, Ken was a giver to his community, serving as a baseball and volleyball official. Ken loved baseball and the Chicago White Sox and attended several White Sox baseball fantasy camps. He even wrote “The Wrong Man Out,” the story of Shoeless Joe Jackson, a ballplayer featured in the movie Field of Dreams. Of course, as a native and proud Indianan, he loved IU basketball and the movie Hoosiers. Bobby Knight, the basketball coach at West Point during our cadet days, led IU basketball to great prominence, providing Indiana a lot to be proud of in those days.</p>
<p>Ken is survived by his wife, Anne; daughter, Laura; son, Kevin; and four grandchildren: Madison, Kelsey, Kyle and Abby. Ken lived life to its fullest and made all of us who knew him proud to call him our friend. He upheld the honor of the Corps, executed his duty faithfully, cared for his family, friends and neighbors, walked hand in hand with his God and was a faithful minister of His word.</p>
<p>In the words of our Alma Mater…<br />“And when our work is done,<br />May it be said, ‘Well Done,<br />Be Thou at Peace’”</p>
<p><em>— Classmate and Family</em></p>
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