Victor Hugo Czegka (May 21, 1880 – February 18, 1973) was a highly decorated

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

warrant officer Warrant officer (WO) is a rank or category of ranks in the armed forces of many countries. Depending on the country, service, or historical context, warrant officers are sometimes classified as the most junior of the commissioned ranks, the mos ...

. He was awarded two Navy Crosses, the United States military's second-highest award, for his participation in the Byrd Antarctic expeditions.

Early life and service

Victor H. Czegka was born on May 21, 1880, in

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

. Czegka immigrated to the United States in 1904 and eventually joined the Marine Corps from

Clifton, New Jersey Clifton is a city in Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Criss-crossed by several major highways, the city is a regional commercial hub for North Jersey and is a bedroom suburb of New York City in the New York Metropolitan Area. As ...

. In 1909, then First Sergeant Czegka became the first Marine to win the

Wimbledon Cup The Wimbledon Cup is a marksmanship trophy that was established in the 1870s. It is awarded annually during the National Rifle & Pistol Matches which are held at Camp Perry, Ohio and has become the most prestigious prize in US long-range ri ...

, a marksmanship trophy. He won the trophy using a

telescopic sight A telescopic sight, commonly called a scope informally, is an optical sighting device based on a refracting telescope. It is equipped with some form of a referencing pattern – known as a ''reticle'' – mounted in a focally appropriate po ...

he had built himself. Czegka became a

naturalized Naturalization (or naturalisation) is the legal act or process by which a non-citizen of a country may acquire citizenship or nationality of that country. It may be done automatically by a statute, i.e., without any effort on the part of the in ...

American citizen in the state of

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

in 1916.

Byrd Antarctic Expeditions

First expedition

From 1928 to 1930, then Master Technical Sergeant Czegka was a member of the first Byrd Antarctic Expeditionary Team. Admiral

Richard E. Byrd Richard Evelyn Byrd Jr. (October 25, 1888 – March 11, 1957) was an American naval officer and explorer. He was a recipient of the Medal of Honor, the highest honor for valor given by the United States, and was a pioneering American aviator, p ...

led Czegka and other explorers to

Antarctica Antarctica () is Earth's southernmost and least-populated continent. Situated almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle and surrounded by the Southern Ocean, it contains the geographic South Pole. Antarctica is the fifth-largest contine ...

, setting up a camp on the

Ross Ice Shelf The Ross Ice Shelf is the largest ice shelf of Antarctica (, an area of roughly and about across: about the size of France). It is several hundred metres thick. The nearly vertical ice front to the open sea is more than long, and between hi ...

called "Little America." The explorers collected mineral deposits and mapped out over 150,000 square miles of uncharted territory in harsh conditions. Byrd personally requested Czegka to design and develop an insulated house to use during the expedition. Czegka was the chief machinist and also constructed stoves and snowmobiles. He prepared and modified the scientific instruments that were used, contributing greatly to the success of the expedition. Czegka was awarded his first Navy Cross for his role in the expedition. In 1930 Czegka, along with 80 others, received a Congressional medal titled the

Byrd Antarctic Expedition Medal The Byrd Antarctic Expedition Medal is a Congressional medal established by an Act of Congress in 1930 to commemorate the Byrd Antarctic Expedition of 1928–1930. Presented in gold, silver and bronze, the medals were awarded to 81 individuals a ...

, for their parts in the expedition. Czegka appeared in a documentary about the expedition which was released in 1930, titled ''

With Byrd at the South Pole ''With Byrd at the South Pole'' (1930) is a documentary film about Rear Admiral Richard E. Byrd and his 1st quest to the South Pole beginning at the Little America-Exploration Base. The film's soundtrack consists mostly of music and sound effect ...

''.

Second expedition

Master Technical Sergeant Czegka would be awarded a second Navy Cross for contributing to the success of the second Byrd Antarctic Expedition. He was the general manager and supply officer from 1933 to 1935 during the expedition. In December 1934, during the second expedition, a 7,450 foot tall mountain was discovered by Quin Blackburn's geological party. The mountain, part of the Queen Maud Mountains, is located just north of the terminus of

Van Reeth Glacier Van Reeth Glacier () is a tributary glacier about 20 nautical miles (37 km) long, draining westward to Scott Glacier between Mounts Blackburn and Bowlin, in the Queen Maud Mountains. It was discovered in December 1934 by the Byrd Antarctic E ...

, on the east side of Scott Glacier. Admiral Byrd named the mountain

Mount Czegka Mount Czegka () is a mountain, high, on the east side of Scott Glacier (Transantarctic Mountains), Scott Glacier, just north of the terminus of Van Reeth Glacier, in the Queen Maud Mountains. It was discovered in December 1934 by the Byrd Antarcti ...

Later life

Czegka retired from the Marine Corps as a chief marine gunner on February 1, 1942, after a total of 30 years of service. Czegka was awarded over 20 military decorations in addition to the Navy Cross. Victor H. Czegka died on February 18, 1973, at his home in

Ipswich, Massachusetts Ipswich is a coastal town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 13,785 at the 2020 census. Home to Willowdale State Forest and Sandy Point State Reservation, Ipswich includes the southern part of Plum Island. A reside ...

. He was buried in

Mount Auburn Cemetery Mount Auburn Cemetery is the first rural cemetery, rural, or garden, cemetery in the United States, located on the line between Cambridge, Massachusetts, Cambridge and Watertown, Massachusetts, Watertown in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, Middl ...

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston, ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Czegka, Victor H. 1880 births 1973 deaths American polar explorers Emigrants from Austria-Hungary to the United States Burials at Mount Auburn Cemetery Explorers of Antarctica Recipients of the Navy Cross (United States) United States Marine Corps officers