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CORTLANDT, N.Y. As may World War II veterans reach their mid-80s, a younger generation is tasked with remembering when the United States was attacked by a foreign nation on its own soil.
The sad part is were losing a lot of these guys, these WWII veterans. Just recently I was at a function, and I happened to get into a conversation with two WWII vets, and I was just amazed at some of their stories and what they had to endure. Ive always enjoyed speaking to some of our seniors, because you can read about it in books, or you can talk to someone who has been through history. Thats priceless, said William Nazario, a veterans service advocate in Northern Westchester.
About 16.1 million servicemen served in World War II, about 350,000 of them were women, all are in their 80s now. The Department of Veterans Affairs estimated in 2001 that about 1,100 World War II veterans die every day, based on U.S. Census data.
Russell Harrison, a Buchanan resident and Navy veteran, said its hard to describe the war, because to him it all related to the Navy. Its real to me, but its not real to them, said Harrison, about describing the war to young people. The Navy welder was called to duty to serve in Hawaii after the attack, to help repair some of the ships sunk or destroyed during the attack. It took months to dock or repair some of the ships, some were unsalvageable.
Harrison said fellow servicemen told him the attack by the Japanese was so unexpected that, They said Its a good thing they didnt send troops over, or we would be speaking Japanese today.
As a Vietnam vet, they set the mold for medication and service. And as far as the mission is concerned, as a young man going into the Marine Corps I saw some of the tradition and theyre accomplishments, and it just left an impression, said Nazario. They set a threshold for what we can accomplish, for what can be accomplished as a nation, and as an individual in uniform. So I owe a lot to them.
Recent deaths of WWII veterans are a somber reminder of Americas greatest generation. Frank Jenerose was born in Buchanan and lived in Montrose. Jenerose invaded the French Beaches of Normandy on D-Day in June of 1944, with the Army. Jenerose landed on Utah Beach, the western-most beach in the invasion.
What can I tell you, he was a great guy, said his widow, Mary Jenerose. Frank Jeneroses funeral was Monday. He landed at Utah Beach, patent third army. He was in for five years and he loved that time he was in the Army. And he always keeps telling the kids about it, and the kids loved hearing about it. They were very interested."
The Serivemens Readjustment Act, also known as the GI bill, gave veterans low-interested federally backed mortgages to buy homes, and funded college scholarships. Nazario said his biggest worry is that Iraq and Afghanistan war veterans become involved, to prevent cuts to veterans services.
What I always say is, they havent found their voice yet. If you dont speak up, especially in todays economic times, when theyre looking for cutbacks in every which way it will happen, he said.
Mary Jenerose said her grandchildren were perpetually interested in her husbands stories. They too feel that they loved their country, and my husband taught them that they should, and dont ever listen to anything else, and make sure its protected all the time. Thats how my husband felt, and I think that went through.
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