Celebrating America Through Local Eyes

Don Podany

Don Podany was barely 21 years old as he stood in a line, after landing in Korea, when an officer came up and said that he was to be a medic. He did not have any medical experience beyond basic training, but he figured it out.

His two years of service in Korea were quite the adventure, one that he will never forget. In addition to treating and picking up the wounded from active firefights, he also had to pick up the deceased. He narrowly escaped certain death on multiple occasions, survived below freezing temperatures with nothing more than a few blankets, saw friends pass in front of him, be it from explosions or gunfire, and yet he survived, an achievement that he still ponders as to how and why. His experiences in Korea have lived with him the rest of his life.

Podany was born and raised in Minnesota. After his service, he returned home and married the love of his life, Joanne. They have been happily married for 74 years now. They share a daughter and a son and enjoy living a quiet life on the water in Isles of Capri.

He had been working for a window company in Minnesota and wound up buying it. He spent about 45 years in the business before turning it over to his son.

Having been in the Marco Island area for 35 years, they have seen many changes. “We remember when the Marco Beach was nothing but the Marriott!”

An avid member of the Marco Island YMCA, age is nothing but a number. Don remains fit as a fiddle with a smile on his face and gratitude in his heart for the country he lives in and the freedoms that come with it.

What does Freedom mean to you?

Freedom is everything. There is no place else like the United States on Earth. It depresses me that people don't realize what they have here! The young people today just don’t realize it. They should’ve been over there and seen how those people lived.
I am so lucky, just so lucky. I wish everybody could be as lucky as me.