16 WWII veterans honored in SLO: ‘They are the real heroes, the real idols, the real icons’
“The men and women that we honor today are the embodiment of the triumph of the human spirit.”
With these words, the Vandenberg chapter of the Military Order of the World Wars opened its second annual luncheon honoring World War II veterans in San Luis Obispo County on Tuesday.
The luncheon brought together 16 living San Luis Obispo County veterans to be recognized for their service during the Second World War, while also honoring those who have since died.
“Theirs is the story that provides the rationale, the very reason, for our pride in being Americans,” said Ret. Maj. James Murphy during the ceremony. “They are the real heroes, the real idols, the real icons.”
Military well represented
Sporting walkers and baseball caps proclaiming their service, the group of elderly men joked with each other and with family members at the San Luis Obispo Country Club while chowing down on a lunch of meatloaf and cheesecake.
Among these men were Purple Heart recipients, fighter pilots, former prisoners of war and witnesses to the battle of Iwo Jima, one of the fiercest and bloodiest battles in the entire war. Virtually all branches of the military were represented, from the Marine Corps, the Army and the Navy to the Merchant Marines and the Coast Guard.
“I just want to say, I think it is so great, that you people are doing this,” former Cpl. Joseph Hale said during the luncheon. “I can remember the first day I got home after World War II, I ran into one of my old teachers and he said, ‘Oh you’re back.’ And that’s kind of the way things were, even until recently. So I think it’s great we’re doing this.”
Hale was an artillery forward observer with the Marine Corps at the battle of Iwo Jima. He witnessed the aftermath of the atomic bomb that was dropped on Nagasaki.
Portrait of living history
Later in the luncheon, the veterans all gathered for a group photo; as they lined up for the snapshot, it was unavoidable to wonder if this was possibly the last time that some of them would be assembled together in one room.
Former Lt. j.g. Joseph Brocato, the emcee of the luncheon and a retired Navy veteran, joked with the group to stay healthy so they could make it to next year’s luncheon.
“Hopefully!” one gleefully shouted from the back row while posing for the photo.
“These tributes are to pay them back,” Brocato told The Tribune after the event. “It is my fervent hope that every single one of them here today will be back next January.”
According to Brocato, three of the 10 veterans who attended the luncheon in 2018 have since died.
This year, 17 veterans were expected to attend, though only 16 were present on Tuesday (and 15 appeared in the group photo).
This year, the group of attending veterans was a bit larger, he said, because of a more concerted effort to reach out to local service men and women, and recognize them for their participation in the war.
“It’s to keep the flame alive,” Brocato said. “If you guys — if we, the newspaper, the media — don’t keep it alive, it dies. Because nobody will remember. The new generation, they’re not taught military history, or even just history. It’s just not taught anymore.
“It’s just a way of saying, ‘Thank you for your service,’” he added. “What other way can you do it?”
Former Staff Sgt. Leo Dumouchelle — who served in the Army between 1942-46 and participated in eight campaigns, including North Africa where he served under the renowned Gen. George S. Patton — said he enjoyed Tuesday’s luncheon.
“Oh yes, it was fine,” he said as he pushed his walker out the foyer of the country club. “Everything was great.”
This story was originally published March 19, 2019 at 6:27 PM.
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