Dartmouth Woman’s Touching Encounter With WWII Vet

My Uncle Joe Sylvia served in the U.S. Navy during World War ll.

I don't know much about his service, where he served or what he experienced. Uncle Joe died in 1973 when I was 15. He was only 49. He never talked about it, and I never thought to ask. I wish I had.

My Uncle Buddy, Howard Prescott, Jr., received a Korean Service Medal and two Bronze Service Stars. Uncle Bud survived the Battle of Pork Chop Hill but witnessed his two best friends from New Bedford killed in action.

Uncle Bud spoke little about his experience. It tortured him night after night for the rest of his life.

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My dad and several other uncles served in the Army and Navy during the Korean War era. Other family members served in Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan.

My clan is not unique. Families throughout the region have always answered the call when there has been conflict, sacrificing on the battlefield and at home. We must keep them in our hearts and minds this and every Veterans Day.

In a Facebook post, my friend Susan Pawlak-Seaman, the beloved former columnist for the Standard-Times, recalled a recent encounter with a World War ll vet at a Dartmouth post office branch.

Susan remembered leaving the post office at closing time.

"They literally were locking up behind me as I wrapped up my visit," she said.

She spotted an elderly man approaching with a handful of letters that needed mailing. The post office was closed, so she helped him deposit his envelopes in an outside mailbox.

"I noticed the cap he was wearing. It identified him as a World War ll veteran," she said.

"My dad served in World War ll," she told him, adding that sadly, she'd lost her father years ago. Susan's father served in Germany and France during the war. Like my uncles, Susan's dad "didn't talk about it a lot."

"Well, I'm 98," the man told Susan. "There aren't many of us left."

Susan said she felt "compelled" to tell him her age.

"I'm 71," she told him. Susan said the man chuckled and replied, "I've got shoes older than you," as he climbed back into his vehicle and drove away.

"The greatest generation," concluded Susan. "Without a doubt."

Sixteen million Americans served in World War ll. It's estimated that fewer than 120,000 are still alive.

Veterans Day is November 11.