Write a commentAssemblyman William A. Barclay, 120th Assembly District, headlined the celebration of veterans residing at Springside at Seneca Hill with expressions of his gratitude for their service and their contributions to civilian life after military service.
He presented a NYS Assembly Citation that commended the veterans for their valiant and honorable service, their contributions and sacrifices, their unwavering courage, and their patriotism and love of country.
Springside veteran Charles (Chuck) Spector spoke briefly at the ceremony on the subject, “What Is A Veteran?” and Edward Campbell described his recent experience of an Honor Flight to Washington, DC to visit the memorials for World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War.
Thirteen veterans now reside or work at Springside, having given a total of 104 years of active service in the U. S. military.
Veterans of the Army include Major Edward Campbell, E2 David (Dave) Maine (Springside employee), Bernard (Bernie) Quinn, Specialist 3 Marcus Salm, Sergeant E-5 Gordon (Pete) Sears, Captain Charles (Chuck) Spector, and Staff Sergeant Leroy Sanders, South Dakota Army National Guard.
Springside staff member David (Dave) Maine spent most of his childhood and youth as a foster child, living with several families. By his late teens he had made some poor decisions and engaged in behaviors that he finally realized would portend a bleak future for him. He knew he had to make a choice of the path to take, so he opted to join the U. S. Army. He became a 36K Communication Specialist serving mainly in Germany. He was a member of the then-unknown Operation Eagle Claw charged with rescuing the hostages from the American embassy in Teheran. Maine is very grateful for his three years of active U. S. military experience, believing that it very likely saved his life.
Bernard (Bernie) Quinn, the youngest of four brothers who all served in Korea, was drafted into the Army and, after basic training, was sent to Korea by troop ship. By the time he arrived, the fighting was finished so he was assigned to units patrolling the demilitarized zone (DMZ) between North and South Korea. Patrols had to follow a safe zone through mine fields, often requiring walking through rice paddies, literally cesspools of human waste. During his tour of duty at the DMZ, Quinn and others were able to spot suspicious activity on the North Korean side, that they reported but which was not considered significant. After he left Korea, it was discovered that the North Koreans had been tunneling under the DMZ. The tunnel was destroyed before it could be used for an invasion of the south. Despite the unpleasant aspects of his work, Quinn considers his three years of military service to have been a good experience.
Marcus Salm trained in ordnance in California. He was amazed that he could learn to break down and reassemble an automatic rifle in total darkness. His service as an automatic rifleman was rendered with NATO infantry forces based at Ulm, Germany in the mid 1950s. Salm gives his three years of military experience glowing praise for teaching him how to be a better learner. He recently took the Honor Flight to Washington, DC.
Gordon (Pete) Sears served in the Army in the late 1960s, two years of which were rendered in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. He was a member of the 4th Infantry Division, known as “grunts.” Its mission included clearing foliage from mountain tops so artillery could be set up. Sears was also involved in reconnaissance and ambush patrols to find enemy activity and call in air and artillery strikes. Discharged in 1969, there followed several significant events including marriage, college, and the pursuit of his dream of playing ice hockey. The latter culminated in his earning a Silver Medal at the 1972 Olympics. Sears credits his three years of military experience as having been lifechanging, teaching him discipline and perseverance, valuable qualities for all of life. He recently took the Honor Flight to Washington, DC.
Charles (Chuck) Spector served two years of active duty as leader of a five-tank platoon at Fort Hood, Texas. He subsequently completed ten years of service in the reserves where he was a medical supply officer. Throughout his military career he completed many schools to improve his knowledge and skills for service and survival. Spector’s military experience enabled him to make many long-lasting friendships that he still cherishes.
Leroy Sanders joined the South Dakota National Guard at age 17 while he was in high school because some of his friends were members, and he thought the work would be interesting. He participated in summer encampments at Black Hills and Fort Sisseton, South Dakota, where he was trained with tanks, howitzers, and rifles. At a summer encampment in Wisconsin, he was assigned to the Air Force to help load cargo planes. Preparations for the Korean War were building up and Sanders was ordered to active duty after only one year of college. He was sent to Camp Carson, Colorado where he worked as company clerk. That work eventually shifted to processing the documentation necessary for troops enroute to Korea and eventually those returning home. His military service ended, and college resumed when he was discharged at 21.
Rendering service in the Air Force were Major Edward Campbell, Staff Sergeant E-5 Sam Figiera, Nurse Corps Captain Lucy Fuss, and Senior Master Sergeant Donald White.
Edward Campbell began his military career in the Air Force in 1958 and served as a medic for four years. He subsequently earned the qualifications to be a registered nurse. That was followed by enlistment in the Army where he served for twenty years as a registered nurse and included service in Vietnam. While serving at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC, Campbell provided care for a member of Congress. He also saw President Carter when he visited badly wounded troops at Fort Sam Houston. He says his military service was a great time and he would recommend it for anyone.
Sam Figiera served in the Air Force providing security services. He spent about two years at a communications center in Germany and later in Vietnam, concluding his service of five years of active duty at Anchorage, Alaska where he was discharged. He and several colleagues received a special award in a private ceremony for the top-secret services they had rendered. The presentation was private because the nature of their work could not be revealed. Figiera recently took the Honor Flight to Washington, DC and feels that Veterans Day honors should be focused on the men and women who did not return.
Lucy Fuss was stationed at Bolling Air Force Base in Washington, DC for three years as a medical/surgical nurse. She transferred to Brooks Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas for two years as a flight nurse transporting patients over the continental USA. She had the experience of caring for two iron lung patients going from South America and Hawaii to Brooks Army Hospital in San Antonio. She next transferred to Nouasseur Air Base in Morocco, North Africa where she was a medical/surgical nurse. Along the way she met her future husband and nursed him through pneumonia. She appreciates the opportunity for travel and to meet many different people that she had through her seven years of military service.
Donald White enlisted in the U. S. Air Force at the age of 18, shortly after the start of the Korean War in 1950. After basic training at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas he was sent to Fort Sam Houston for surgical technician training. Tours of duty followed at March Air Force Base in California and Bolling Air Force Base in Washington, DC. There he met and married his wife; she was a 2nd Lieutenant and he a Staff Sergeant and they decided to make the Air Force their careers. White served for 24 years and his wife for 20. Their postings included bases across the U. S., Canada, Europe, and Southeast Asia. Some of the most memorable were Madrid, Spain, a “DEW Line” radar site in Northern Canada, and medical air evacuation in Vietnam.
The Navy is represented at Springside by E-6 Andrew Andersen, Lieutenant Senior Grade William Dyer, and Seaman 1st Class Thomas Putnam.
Andrew (Andy) Andersen was based at Norfolk, Virginia for two years, after which he went to Pearl Harbor. There he served aboard the nuclear submarine Triton as a reactor operator. The Triton was unique in that it had two reactors driving two separate propellers. Andersen was later involved in the early stages of building the Guard Fish nuclear submarine. He is proud to have served in the Navy for seven years where he met a great variety of people. He especially appreciates the excellent schooling he received that enabled him to perform his military duties and led the way to a valuable civilian career in Oswego’s nuclear power industry.
William (Bud) Dyer served for five years in the late 1950s in the U. S. Navy at Lakehurst, New Jersey doing aircraft maintenance for helicopter detachments that provided communications and supply support for ships at sea. He laughed easily as he recalled an incident when he was aboard a borrowed aircraft enroute to Norfolk, Virginia to conduct an inspection. On the way, the plane developed a severe oil leak that generated such a cloud of smoke that observers watching for his arrival said they could see it for ten miles, and it was the worst looking plane they had seen since D Day.
Springside centenarian Thomas Putnam was drafted out of his first year of college in 1943 and trained as a torpedo man at Great Lakes, Illinois and New London, Connecticut. He was sent to Brisbane, Australia and then traveled across the continent by troop train to Perth, Western Australia. There he served on two submarines, the Sea Robin and the Ray. Crossing the continent, he developed a healthy respect for the Australian soldiers who were escorting Italian prisoners of war. Putnam served for three years of active war time duty.
Springside at Seneca Hill is an independent living residential community for seniors 55 or older who can take care of all their personal needs but who want to free themselves of the responsibilities of maintaining a house. Fully accessible apartments, duplexes, and cottages are available, along with a variety of services including prepared restaurant-style dinners served by trained staff in the formally appointed dining room where casual attire prevails, housekeeping, laundry, lawn care, snow removal, garages, and maintenance services, depending upon the options chosen. Most residents find it considerably less expensive and much less stress and work than maintaining a private house.
Information is available and tours of Springside may be arranged by calling 315-343-5658 to schedule an appointment.
