World War II veterans Lorraine Hocheim and Eugene Cook, both residents at JFK Medical Center Haven Hospice in Edison, have shared their stories with fellow veteran and volunteer Joe Belardo, who stands behind them at left. Also pictured are volunteer Marie Keane, rear center, and Maureen David, the hospice’s volunteer coordinator. Long after the symbolic white flag waves to mark the end of war, memories of conflict linger deep within many of the country’s military veterans. Whether the thoughts invoke a bitter sadness or joy for past friendships, they serve as slowly vanishing firsthand accounts of history.
Last month, veterans who are patients at the JFK Medical Center Haven Hospice in Edison began to permanently preserve their recollections of World War II. Hospice volunteer Joe Belardo, who served in the Vietnam War, recorded audio interviews with two patients about their time in the service. The recordings and corresponding transcripts will be forever protected by the Library of Congress as part of its Veterans History Project.
Eugene Cook “In the future, 100 years from now, if the great-grandchildren want to listen to their great-grandfather talk, they just call the Library of Congress and give his name,” Belardo said. “It inspires their children to learn something about their loved one that they never knew before.”
The oral-history project began nationwide about 13 years ago. The late U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg aggressively promoted the program in the Garden State, Belardo said.
Now, with a push to honor veterans rolling through hospices across the country, JFK’s volunteers thought there would be no better way to thank America’s heroes than through the oral-history initiative, according to Maureen David, the hospice’s volunteer coordinator.
Lorraine Hocheim “Sometimes people have never even told these stories before,” she said. “Especially in a hospice, where people are dying, it’s good for them to get a lot of this off their chests.”
For Eugene Cook, a 93-year-old former Navy Seabee who was active during World War II and the first JFK patient to go through the interview, the experience brought him back to the “good ol’ days.”
At just 22 years old, Cook was charged with restoring Pearl Harbor after the Japanese aerial assault that forced the United States into the war.
Images of seemingly endless lines winding around military recruitment buildings entered Cook’s mind, he said. He also recalled his attempt to enter the U.S. Air Force as a pilot, only to flunk the vision test. An official suggested he drink carrot juice to boost his sight for the next exam, Cook said.
“It was a very uplifting experience. You get emotional when you start revealing your past, but when I came back and thought about it, it was a very enjoyable experience,” he added. “It brought back many great memories.”
Lorraine Hocheim, a former sergeant in the Women’s Army Corps, told her story in the hospice’s second recorded interview. A Bronx, N.Y., resident for most of her life, Hocheim altered her birth certificate to enlist underage, she said.
Once in the service, she led a group of men and women in an effort to distribute supplies to members of the military. Whenever a soldier asked for one shirt, Hocheim would dole out two, she said with a laugh.
“I met a lot of interesting people. I enjoyed it — I really did,” she said. “I didn’t want to come home.”
During the interviews, veterans recount their lives before, during and after service, Belardo said.
The narratives prove especially valuable for family members, as they form connections that otherwise would not exist, he said. That made it all the more heartbreaking when one patient died shortly before he was scheduled to record his tale, with his family nearby.
“It was just one of those tragedies of life, and it makes us want to push this program forward even further,” Belardo said.
Cook said he is glad that future generations will be able to understand the feelings of many soldiers at that time. For instance, he said, many of his peers believe the dropping of two atomic bombs on Japan was a necessary move.
“When I read about the controversy here today and why we killed all of those people over there — well, it was kill or be killed,” Cook said. “I think it’s a wonderful project, to hear somebody’s voice and their experiences.” The JFK Medical Center Haven Hospice will continue to collect the stories of veterans, Belardo said.
Although individuals who served in other conflicts, including the Vietnam and Korean wars, will also be included, it’s critical to document the memories of World War II vets right now because of their age, David said.
“They’re up in their years,” she said.