August Joseph Ponstingel

Chief Warrant Officer 3

VETERAN SERVICE DATES: 01/12/1946 - 01/31/1968  

USMC Retired

31 Dec 1927  - 07 April 2003

WA4FCS/N0RZT

W4NTR

Circa 1964

August Joseph "Gus" Ponstingel

August Joseph 'Gus' Ponstingel, age 75, of Dumfries, died at his home while peacefully asleep on Monday, April 7, 2003. Born in New Jersey, he made Woodbridge his home after retiring from the Marine Corps. He is best remembered for his sense of humor, love and of cooking and travel.

He enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps on Jan. 11, 1946 and was discharged Aug. 29, 1957 as a Master Sergeant and subsequently appointed Warrant Officer on Aug. 30, 1957. He served in the Korean War, Japan, the Philippines and Okinawa, retiring as a Chief Warrant Officer - 3, Feb. 1, 1968. Awards and decorations received are Navy Commendation Medal with a Combat 'V', Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal with two Stars, W.W. II Victory Medal, National Defense Service Medal with one Star, Korea Service Medal with four Stars, U.N. Medal for service in Korea, Presidential Unit Citation with one Star, Korean Campaign Medal from the Republic of Korea, Korean Campaign Ribbon and a Certificate of Recognition for Cold War Service.

He continued his career as a Fleet Maintenance Supervisor for Griffith Consumer and Shane Brothers, before his final retirement as the Mobile Equipment Division Head for the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission. He was a member of the First Baptist Church of Woodbridge.

Survivors include his wife of 53 years, Elizabeth Ann (Koontz) Ponstingel; two children, August Karl Ponstingel and Lisa Marie Sosik; son-in-law, Brandon Nicholas Sosik; and two grandchildren, Nicholas Joseph Sosik and Alexandra Marie Sosik; and one brother, Joseph Ponstingel. He was preceded in death by his parents, August Raymond and Rosalie Agnes; and one brother, Robert Ponstingel. The family will receive friends from 2 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. Sunday, April 13, at Mountcastle Funeral Home, 13318 Occoquan Road, Woodbridge, where funeral services will be held at 12 p.m. Monday, April 14 with the Rev. Ray Bearden officiating. Interment will follow at 1 p.m. at the Quantico National Cemetery.

Expressions of sympathy may take the form of flowers or contributions to First Baptist Church of Woodbridge, attn: Building Fund, In memory of Gus Ponstingel, P.O. Box 6788, Woodbridge, VA 22195.

Published in the Potomac News and Manassas Journal Messenger on 4/12/2003

Gus wrote in the July 1964 Zero Beat: “Became interested in the HAM business while at Camp Lejeune in 1960.  Started with the Jacksonville Civil Defense CW Classes.  Received Novice ticket, January ’62, and Conditional, January ’63.

Two rigs at the home QTH in Woodbridge, Virginia, are the Johnson Challenger and Eldico TR1-TV, both on CW and AM. 

Interested primarily in traffic work.  Am past Manager of the Virginia Fone Net and still act as Net Control each Monday.  Work many east coast traffic nets from home, and operate from W4NTR as time allows.  Member of, and active in, Navy MARS N0RZT.  Instruct a CW class at Fort Belvoir Amateur Radio Club, and assist in teaching theory for same group. 

Like to build and trouble-shoot circuits.  Not so good at it, but will keep trying.  Working only AM and CW at present, but am collecting parts for a 75 meter SSB exciter. (Ed. Note: Gus calls it Scientific Set-Back)  Have a nice area to operate from the basement and expect the XYL to put my sack in the shack!