More than 20 million Americans are veterans of foreign wars. Roughly half of those veterans are aged 65 and older, including more than 1.3 million World War II veterans over the age of 85.
At Highgate Senior Living, members of service-connected families, veterans, and other patriotic Americans mark each Memorial Day and Veterans Day by remembering and honoring the ultimate sacrifice so many have made and making a conscience effort to seek out and thank veterans living within the community.
With Memorial Day right around the corner, we took the opportunity to capture some of Highgate Senior Living residents most memorable service stories.
From East Coast to West Coast
As a chaplain, Cliff was charged with the religious and spiritual welfare of the members of the unit he was assigned to. The services chaplains provide are an important factor in the development of individual pride, morale, and self-respect.
Cliff was fresh out of seminary when he was called to serve as a chaplain in the U.S. Navy. He was stationed in Boston and then a naval base outside of Honolulu, Hawaii, where he counseled marines and sailors. “It kept me busy, but I enjoyed every minute of it,” Cliff said. “It was a great job.”
On Veterans Day in 2017, Highgate at Bozeman honored Cliff by celebrating a milestone birthday: his 100th. A large group of friends and family packed the senior living community. “I’m not used to having all this attention, not in my 100 years,” Cliff told the Bozeman Daily Chronicle.
Chasing the Train
Harry, a 93-year-old resident who lives at Highgate Senior Living in Bozeman, Montana, said his time in the service was “educational.” He studied aeronautical engineering at Utah State and worked in the military in the areas of mechanics and flight engineering.
Harry served in the 8th Air Corp as an aircraft mechanic and primarily worked on B17s, but also on B24s, B51s, and B38s.
He remembers seeing the last performance of the Glen Miller Band at Base Air Depot #2 near London.
While traveling to London, 10 of Harry’s fellow service men traveled from Ogden, Utah, to the coast by way of steam engine. It being July, it was very hot on the train. They stopped in Virginia to refuel and were instructed to stay on the train, but eying an ice cream shop just up the road, Harry and three others climbed out the window and were off for refreshments. They returned to a train that was already pulling away from the station. A local man had witnessed their folly and told them he knew where the train would stop next. After what Harry considered to be “the craziest drives I have ever been on,” the man delivered them to the next station in time for Harry’s friends to pull them back through the window and they were once again on their way to London.
Recently, Harry was interviewed by a researcher from the National WWII Museum, who captured the oral history of his experience.
Avoiding Disaster at Sea
Dan, who lives at Highgate Senior Living in Vancouver, Washington, was awarded a four-year scholarship to attend Oregon State University through the Navy ROTC. After graduating from Oregon State University, Dan served in the U.S. Navy. Dan received his orders on April 10, 1956, and reported to service on July 21, 1956. He served on the USS Zeal fleet minesweeper and USS McDermott, a Fletcher class destroyer.
He recently recalled a time during his service when he and 76 men were deployed to Hong Kong on the USS Zeal, a steel-hulled fleet minesweeper. After they shipped out, the minesweeper encountered a tremendous typhoon. He was in charge of watch in the pilot’s room and was to give warning of a large rock that was in the ocean. He remembers not being able to see because of the storm, yet if the rock was to appear suddenly, it would be disastrous. No one knew the location of the rock or where they were headed. When they finally arrived at their destination, everyone was shocked because they thought the ship and crew were lost. Dan remembers one man yelling, “Wow, we thought we lost you!”
Dan enjoyed his time in the service immensely, especially when he served under Admiral Murphy’s staff, and retired as a lieutenant.
Every Veterans Day, Dan attends a special service that the Messiah Lutheran Church celebrates to honor all their veterans. Dan is very proud to have served our country and looks upon his service with pride and joy.
