HOO-AH! Woodbury Honored His WWII Victory Medal

The predominant feature of a visit to Woodbury's Villa Retirement home with my friends is the warmth and affection we have for one another and for the tenants who live there.

When you invite such incredible fun people whom you adore, there is always the possibility of something exciting happening, even something very exciting.

Two wonderful friends arrived… Colleen Davis, a local Woodbury photographer, her daughter Megan and Jennifer Rosenstiel, with her daughter Ainsley from St. Paul. The Rosenstiels are former Woodbury residents.

A couple of days earlier we had arranged to meet at the Villa, my old place of work. Their desire was to meet World War II veterans and others and a expose their lovely daughters to WWII vets and a their stories.

Armed with coffee from , crumpets, English muffins under their arms; my friends arrived. They were greeted at the door by Helen Miller, 90, donning her WWII-era uniform. Helen served in England during the war. Helen is full of surprises; she’s a versatile lady who wears many hats. (She’s a writer, artist, singer, performer and seamstress.)

To acquaint folks, I asked my dear elderly friends to introduce themselves so we could get our gathering off to a great start. The first resident shouted with laughter the first introduction, “I’m Frank Sinatra!"

I sought permission from Roger Holman (Frank Sinatra) to use his name for this piece.  He wanted folks in Woodbury to see his name in print for sure, he assured me "just as long as you don't give it to the coppers."

Pearl Esboldt, 94, who always exudes a warmth and good humor that is instantly contagious to all those who come into her orbit introduced herself as the biggest battle-axe in the building! In our discussions so far, it was fun and games—not one bit of truth; laughter prevailed.

Most of the hosting of this event was lead by a lovely lady, LaVina Ringwelski, tenant of more than 5 years at the Villa. LaVina is impeccable; the make-up is flawless, her choice of attire is sublime, her apartment is immaculate, and she entertains to perfection. A dynamo! LaVina is 82. She ensured that we would all have enough coffee and treats while the event was aglow with chat.

A day earlier, I learned from one of my former administrators, that a WWII Victory medal had arrived for one of our residents from Philadelphia. It was a medal that had been overlooked and finally, 60 years later, it had arrived. The decoration commemorates military service during World War II.

Kathy Dunleavy at Woodbury Health Care Center and I had began gathering names of our elderly vets in Woodbury over a year ago—they had medals due to them, but for varied reasons, had not received them.

It has been my experience that most of these vets would like their medals sooner rather than later. 

I had the privilege of presenting this medal to WWII vet Dean Fleming, 87, on Friday along with house manager Kathy Ryan. We pinned the Victory medal to this fine gentleman. This was a big surprise to all, especially Dean, the recipient. Kathy and I couldn't have been happier this Friday morn.

What an honor, I’m grateful to be asked to do this by my old colleagues and it was highly personal for me. The dream of acquiring medals for all deserving vets is a dream of many over at the . We all know of the importance of these moments and hope to experience more. 

Had I more time left in Minnesota before I fly back to Puerto Rico I would have respectively asked others in the community to do the honors. I‘m thinking of a celebration in the summertime and a I hope you will all attend. My hope is that there will be a continuation, a flow of medals for others and a way to recognize the sacrifices of these ageless vets.

A big thanks to Gen. Larry Shellito, Commissioner of the VA and this new program where it seems possible now the latter will take place. We are beginning to see WWII medals coming in. 

Dean Fleming, a Waseca native, is a member of a family that has seen military service across four generations. Dean’s father, Lester Fleming, fought in France during World War I as an infantryman. During the fighting he was wounded by German machine-gun fire and suffered greatly from the effects of mustard gas. Dean found himself drafted into the Army and served as a medic in Honolulu, Hawaii, in 1945.

Dean’s son Richard joined the Navy and entered the silent world of submarine life in 1966. He was a radio operator near or below the North Pole, waiting for signs of a Soviet nuclear strike.

In 1969, Dean’s son Stephen joined the Air Force, flying C-130s across the Pacific delivering much needed food to Korea. Dean’s nephew, Robert II, joined the Navy in 1980. This Navy Seal globe trotted to hot spots around the world and proudly served 24 years. The Fleming family feel that service in the military is part of their duty as Americans.

Joining us was Dayton Kjonnass, another WWII vet, local resident and recipient of two purple hearts. He has incredible experiences and carries the secret behind some of the most spectacular tours overseas, in Italy mainly.

Hearing some of Dayton’s story many times, over tea, I have learned much from him. You’ll soon know you can be whatever you want to be, if you are willing to work hard enough… and he has taught a few of us that there is almost nothing that ails you that can’t be fixed with a little exercise. He is a great vet, defying death so many times.

Most of all he teaches us that being kind is not a sign of weakness. He is a great dad, a devoted husband (just lost his wife of 63 years) and, family matters.

The vets constantly show us examples in life—core values of integrity, service and excellence.

Later, I spoke with my two friends that joined me in this wonderful morning, Colleen and Jennifer. They were so thankful to be introduced to these "amazing" folks with "amazing" stories, amazing "talents." Their daughters want to return for another visit to the Villa. Their children Megan and Ainsley are now busy making hats for our Woodbury elderly friends.

The next day I went back to have breakfast with Woodbury seniors. When I spoke to the "battle-axe" Pearl about how hilarious she is—she just threw that 94-year-old head back, laughing and asking if they thought she was crazy enough!

She is anything but crazy. Pearl has the magic touch of mixing people who don’t know one another and they go on to become friends. Now, that's the way to party Pearl! The lady is a gift to all.