Dorothy Roberts of Stafford Springs, served in the WAVES, an acronym for Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service. It was the U.S. Naval Reserve’s women’s branch during World War II.
Roberts remembers what it was like caring for servicemen as a dental hygienist.
“When we saw them come back from the war, it was hard to see so many had been wounded,” Roberts said.
Roberts doesn’t talk too often about that time in her life, but she ended up coming to a Memorial Day event this month at the State Armory in Hartford. She said it was the first state Memorial Day ceremony she has ever attended.
When asked why she decided to come this time around, she answered simply.
“Because I'm 102.”
Roberts is actually not the eldest veteran at the event. Some are at least 105 years-old. The youngest are in their 90’s. Some have trouble walking while others are able to stand and walk under their own power.
The event was organized by Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz’s office. Bysiewicz says hearing their stories is more poignant now than ever.
As the veterans continue to age, their numbers are dwindling rapidly.
Bysiewicz spoke to around 70 veterans, their families, the British and French Consul Generals that day, her voice echoing in the gym.
“We are here today to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the end of WWII, and it is so critical that we take a moment to recognize the members of our greatest generation who fought fascism and protected our freedoms,” Bysiewicz said.
According to Bysiewicz and veterans advocates, these events help keep the memories of war veterans alive, in ways that provide guidance during contemporary times, and also illuminate ongoing fights over national identity.
Anne Roberts Pierson is the daughter of Dorothy Roberts. Roberts Pierson, who also served in the U.S. Navy, said many veterans have interviewed with the media and various local historical associations.
She said many of them are in a reflective mood, knowing they don’t have much time left.
“As you get to your senior years, you start thinking about what you've done over the course of your life, and events like war really helped shape you as a young person,” Roberts Pierson said.
Roberts Pierson said she was surprised the state was able to get 70 veterans to attend the event. Bysiewicz put out a public request for veterans earlier this year, realizing locating veterans through usual routes was becoming less successful.
“There are people who could be living with relatives who wouldn't have a tax exemption, or people who could be living in nursing homes or senior facilities that wouldn't be part of those lists,” Bysiewicz said.
Her office reached out to local municipal governments throughout the state, and sent out a public request. Roberts Pierson said her family responded to the request.
Other veterans described moments of sheer terror, liberating concentration camps, surviving close quarters combat against an often tenacious German or Japanese opponent.
Patricia Wilson Pheanious, a former state rep. is the daughter of a Tuskegee Airman. The group consisted of mostly African American pilots who served in two U.S. Army Air Force units during WWII.
The group earned praise for its combat record, earning a Distinguished Unit Citation in 1945, despite fighting against racism within the armed forces and in American society.
“They believed in the ideals this nation professes, liberty, justice and equality for all their journeys highlighted the dual battles they faced, against those who sought to deny them their rightful place in the ranks, and against the very real threats of Nazis in war,” Wilson Pheanious said.
Other veterans like New Britain native Charles Alex, who served in the U.S. Army, described fierce fighting.
Alex described how members of the Imperial Japanese Army routinely tried to trick American soldiers out of their foxholes.
“The enemy would come close to the hole; beg us to come out,” Alex said.
He doesn’t speak for long; he soon gets tired. But he partly sums up his experiences in the war.
“During all the combat, we lost people, they lost people,” Alex said. “How do you replace such replacements? How do you remember them all? War is not easy. You lose only friends.”
Alex would come home to New Britain in 1945, but before he came back, he made sure to call his family.
“I told my parents, my mother, I told her ‘mom I am now home when I'll get to New Britain, unknown. But when I do get there, I'll call you,” Alex said. “Upon hearing the sound of my voice. I heard her hit the ground. She immediately collapsed with surprise.”
Bysiewicz’s father served as a Bombardier during the war, over the Western European theater. She said hearing the veterans’ stories means understanding their experiences and their context in American history.
Wilson Pheanious said Memorial Day ceremonies like these also present an opportunity to view veterans’ experiences as reminders of what they fought for and why it matters. She hopes all Americans take note of their service and honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice.
“Let us pray that they remember and honor that because the time feels near to stand again, to defend democracy and to act in time to save it,” Wilson Pheanious said.
