Waterford nursing home honors vets with photo wall, ceremony
Waterford — In a photo now hanging on the wall at New London Rehabilitation and Care, Martin Sheedy looks like he’s in the middle of a high five.
The picture was taken in Alaska, while Sheedy, now 91, was serving in the U.S. Army in World War II.
Beside him on the wall, Louis Jackson, now also 91, looks out from under his Army dress cap, looking no older than 19.
The decades-old photos of several current and recent residents of the Waterford rehabilitation and nursing center now hang right in its front entrance.
On another wall, photos of the 12 current residents of the home who served in the military look out on the lobby, dressed in suits and ties and sitting in front of American flags.
The home dedicated the wall in a ceremony Wednesday afternoon, complete with an appearance by the Knights of Columbus, the Waterford High School Chamber Chorus singing songs representing each branch of the service, a flag retirement and proclamations from several local politicians.
Nancy Lewis, New London Rehab and Care’s director of admissions, organized the photo project as a way to recognize the dozen veterans living at the home in advance of Memorial Day.
Her own father served in the Army during the Vietnam War and recently died, she said.
“I wanted to honor my father ... and the veterans here,” she said. “We are saying thank you.”
James McAllister, who served with the Marine Corps during the Vietnam War, said he rarely talks about his service with the other residents at the facility.
“I don’t even talk to my wife about it,” he said.
But he said he does have a rapport with the facility’s director, Michael Pescatello, who is an Army veteran, through talking about their experiences in the service.
On Wednesday, the two men bantered back and forth over the different branches they served in and, talking about the ceremony earlier this week, McAllister, who will turn 70 next month, seemed to soften.
“I respect anyone in the service,” he said. “I’m not ashamed of it.”
Jeffrey Cannon, the day shift supervisor at New London Rehabilitation and Care, said many of the veterans at the nursing home have limited memories of their pasts, but that doesn’t mean the facility’s staff should forget about it, he said.
“You can see a look of pride and happiness just start coming out of them,” Cannon said. “They’re here, and they don’t always get the recognition they deserve.”
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