“Resident Peter moved to Artis at 101 years old and has since celebrated two birthdays with us. When we learned that he had been a POW and was a decorated WWII veteran, we contacted the local Veterans Affairs office to help us welcome and celebrate Peter. We were prepared to honor him with some fanfare, but we could not have anticipated the response from local veterans who arrived en masse for the event. In addition to his entire extended family, there were three generals, 25 soldiers in fatigues, five local veterans, two selectmen, and two state representatives in attendance. It was particularly heartwarming to witness the respected tradition of the generals passing their commemorative coins on to Peter, and there wasn’t a dry eye in the room.”
Saluting a POW and World War II Veteran