Veterans share unique experiences during Monroe Senior Center event

MONROE, Conn. — Ed Soderberg served seven good years and a perilous two days in the Army, surviving a fire in the cockpit of his airplane and a bad engine while aboard a helicopter.

“But I got through with God’s help. I got through both,” Soderberg told Monroe Senior Center patrons during a Veterans Day Honor Presentation Friday afternoon.

He also flew missions on “a need to know basis,” one of them, he later found out, played a small role in the Cuban Missile Crisis, a 13-day standoff between the U.S. and Russia.

Fellow veteran Lavern Dillon served in the Navy, spending her time in Corpus Christi.

“I worked in the admin building, and I took care of everybody’s leave — so they had to be nice to me,” she said as the room filled with laughter.

Robert Mraz, a retired Army lieutenant colonel and senior vice commander of VFW Post 10059, who was a featured speaker at Friday’s event, noted how military service is a unique experience for everyone who wears a uniform.

“We veterans before you are symbols of the struggle for freedom,” Mraz said from behind the podium. “Our heroes are the other military veterans and other people associated in war that had to sacrifice their lives, so that everyone else could remain free. We veterans are proud and thankful that all of you continue to enjoy the freedom, which we have in this nation.”

Monroe Community and Social Services Director Kim Cassia and her staff organized the Veterans Day Honor Presentation, which included guest speakers, music and a lunch of chicken parmesan and penne alla vodka.

The Monroe Police Honor Guard carried the U.S. and Connecticut flags, while marching down the center aisle with a line of veterans behind them to start the ceremony.

Patriotic songs were performed by the Notables Chorus, led by Vic Johnson.

First Selectman Terry Rooney was among the special guests.

Rooney thanked all who served and put their lives in jeopardy, oftentimes for people they didn’t know. He also recognized the sacrifice of time spent away from families.

The first selectman said his grandfather was a CB in the Navy and his father was a drill sergeant in the Army. He expressed his respect for the military and all that veterans have done and recalled the disrespect toward many Vietnam veterans when they came back home.

“The town of Monroe, we will respect the veterans wholeheartedly and forever,” Rooney said. “This town is a law and order town and it is a town that respects people, who put themselves on the line to protect others. We are here to respect you, honor you, pay homage to your service and thank you. We love you. God bless America and God bless Monroe.”

VFW Post 10059

Dona-Lyn Wales, finance officer of the VFW Post 10059 Auxiliary, and a Monroe Town Council member, told Senior Center patrons how her father enlisted in the Navy and served as a coxswain on the USS Rankin in the Pacific during World War II.

He had joined VFW Post 10106 in Monroe, which had around 80 members before closing in the 1980s after a 15-to-20 year run, according to Wales’ recollection.

“They had an auxiliary and back then it was women, but that has long since changed,” Wales said. “Their mission was the same as what it is today, they are there to support veterans and to promote the patriotism.”

Due to attrition experienced at VFW halls in the area, VFW Post 10059 in Trumbull expanded to become a regional organization serving veterans in the towns of Trumbull, Shelton, Monroe, Easton, Redding and part of Bridgeport.

Wales said VFW Post 10059 established its own auxiliary only about a year-and-two-months ago.

Auxiliary members must be over age 16 and have been a spouse or a very close relative to a veteran, who served in the military and meets all of the requirements to be a member of the VFW.

“We are a growing organization,” Wales said of the Post. “Anybody who is a veteran is welcome.”

She said the auxiliary supports the Post, which informs local veterans of the benefits available to them and how to file for assistance, supports training and reintroduction into the workforce, and visits organizations like Homes for the Brave. Post 10059 promotes patriotism by visiting schools and offering programs for students.

Mraz said members are all volunteers.

“The Post and auxiliary are a very active great group of people who do a lot of things,” Wales said.

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