By Natalie Bazinet
Staff Writer
America is only free because of those who fought and continue fighting to keep it so, and many of the country’s brave soldiers currently reside at the Maine Veterans’ Home in Caribou. While no article, tome or dissertation could do justice to the experiences of those men and women faced in the name of liberty, a handful of veterans shared some of their short stories of what and whom they think of on a day designated to their honor.
Contributed photo
Spc 4 Wayne M. Soucie, right, serving with the 3rd Armored Division, U.S. Army Europe and Seventh Army was recognized Dec. 11, 1980 by Maj. Gen. W.F. Ulmer Jr., commander, for outstanding achievement when, at risk to his personal safety, he “reacted to an emergency situation with speed, composure and proficiency. His actions at Parsberg, Germany directly aided in the saving of lives of two fellow solders.” A 1975 Caribou High School graduate, Soucie served in the U.S. Army from 1978-81 and now lives in Presque Isle.
For three years, Philip White was what he called a “bedpan commando” working as an Army medic for three years stateside; during that time he accumulated more stories that could fill an afternoon. But on Veterans’ Day, one man in particular stands out among White’s list of remembrance; Sgt. Zoë.
White described how Sgt. Zoë was a good man who just happened to like to gamble. Sometimes Sgt. Zoë would ask to borrow money from White and as Sgt. Zoë always paid him back, White had no problem lending him money.
After three years of being a medic, White longed for a different job within the military and Sgt. Zoë was in a position to help. Within a short time from his initial request, White made the transition from cleaning soldiers’ wounds to cleaning soldiers’ dishes and on Veterans’ Day, he’s reminded of Sgt. Zoë who helped make that transfer possible.
In his 18 years of service with the United States Army Infantry, Alphee Corriveau achieved the rank of master sergeant and was awarded a Bronze Star and a Liberation Ribbon, among other medals and achievements. He served in both World War II and in the Korean War.
Shortly after his 18th birthday, he joined the Army and months later he was on the front lines in the South Pacific during World War II taking fire with his fellow soldiers.
“We hit it hard,” Corriveau said of the men he served with. “Those are the days that you don’t want to forget, but you don’t want to remember.”
Corriveau doesn’t think of one person in particular on Veterans’ Day.
“All those men who spent their days in prison camps, those are the men we think of; those who were attacked at Pearl Harbor, those are the men that we want to remember,” he said. “We think about everyone in the service, we all did our share, we all did our part willingly, and we don’t want to forget it. On Memorial Day and on Veterans’ Day we remember the thousands who were killed fighting for their country,” he added. “We remember why they are never forgotten.”
Gaylon Grant served in the Air Force for one year dealing with various aspects of communications, and on Veterans’ Day he’s reminded of his friend, Ray Bartley of Presque Isle who passed away this past year. Bartley was an Army veteran, and the two met during their school days.
Grant remembers working with Bartley out of the service, and recalled that Bartley was a good worker who he enjoyed spending time with.
L. Max Johnston was born and raised in Presque Isle; he’d never left The County until he joined the Navy.
Johnston joined the Navy and enjoyed himself most of the time, though his experiences were different that he’d ever realized.
From New Zealand to California to New Caledonia and much in between, Johnston can truly say that he saw the world.
During what little free time he had on the ships, he remembers that there were always cards to play and when he didn’t feel like playing cards, he could sit on the deck and watch the water or anything else that passed the ship.
After his service with the Navy, something that he felt that he needed to do for his country, he was happy to come home to Maine and he’s stayed here ever since.
“I didn’t want to travel out of the state because I was so happy to be back,” he said.
Johnston lived in Presque Isle until he moved into the Maine Veterans’ Home and just turned 85 in October.
Philip Parent, or “Frenchy” as his fellow soldiers called him, was a private first class during World War II. There’s much for him to remember on Veterans’ Day, but he specifically remembers his friend Fred Peterson from Ohio.
Parent and Peterson met in the service and became friends along the way; the two of them along with four others formed a close-knit group of friends who stuck together playing cards and other games when they could, but they weren’t always together.
Parent drove a Jeep in WWII, driving officers and other military personnel where they needed to go. He recalled one instance toward the end of the war when he was driving an officer in an area that was supposed to have been relatively safe. They were at the back of the line and because they hadn’t expected confrontation, their offensive equipment hadn’t been equipped on the jeep; it was in a truck nearby.
Parent, the officer, and the other Army personnel accompanying them were caught off guard by a German plane that didn’t hesitate to open fire on the Americans. The plane passed a couple of times before the soldiers were able to put the necessary equipment in place to return fire and but once they’d readied themselves for the plane to pass again, it never came back.
Parent took pride in his Jeep and kept it in excellent condition; one day he’d even found polish to make the fenders shine. Imagine his surprise, however, when he found that all the other Jeep driver were upset with him for doing so — apparently he wasn’t supposed to have polished up the Jeep in such a way. But his shiny Jeep caught the attention of one officer, who looked at the long line of vehicles and picked Parent as his driver.
Parent is from Van Buren and enjoys the Maine Veterans’ Home and says that the staff is very nice.
