State lawmaker, long-term care administrator overwhelmed by veterans and their war stories

MARLOW - As Memorial Day came and went, long-term care administrator Jessica Garvin remembered the many times she has listened to the war stories of her residents and saw their tears as they spoke.

“It makes me cry a lot and I’m not really a big crier. It’s overwhelming, ” she said.

Garvin, who doubles as a state lawmaker from Duncan, said the veterans who reside in the facilities she operates, are from an era of tough, rugged men and women who made life work for them and their families despite incredible obstacles.

“For some of these people, we’re talking about them living through the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl and a World War. They have such knowledge and a wealth of stories that are priceless, ” she said. “It’s not often that a veteran speaks of their own heroism. Most of the time, when these stories begin to pour out, it’s bragging on a shipmate or someone who was in the

BY TIM FARLEY

trenches with them that never made it home. Listening to the stories from these veterans is heart-wrenching. Watching them relive those memories, although difficult to hear, brings me such pride in my country and thankfulness for their sacrifice.

When these aging veterans begin to tell their stories Garvin and her staff usually just listen. In some cases, they ask questions.

“Some veterans will remember specific days when they were at war, ” she said. “So many World War II veterans are passing away, but we have quite a few from Vietnam, Korea and even some Iraqi and Afghanistan war veterans who are here for rehab or long-term care. ”

When the veterans begin to tell the war stories, their spouses are often present.

“Sometimes, they will cry together and sometime they will laugh together, ” Garvin said. “Sometimes, they open up about writing letters back and forth. I’ve even heard some stories about vets who lied about their age to join the military. Hearing their stories really puts things into perspective, especially when I heard a Normandy Day survivor talk about missing his prom because he was fighting in a war. So many of these veterans missed out on their birth of their children, a high school prom and even high school graduation. ”

About two years ago, Marlow High School students, in conjunction with Garvin’s West Wind Assisted Living Center and the Gregston Nursing Home and Rehab Center, organized a prom for the veterans who didn’t go to their own prom because they were serving in a war far away.

“They loved it and so did we, ” Garvin said.

After the 2021 legislative session ended last month, Garvin sent a letter to all of her constituents about Memorial Day and her connection to military veterans. In the letter, Garvin wrote “I think of how incredibly blessed I have been over the past seven years to serve veterans in their most vulnerable and difficult time of life. As a nursing home and assisted living administrator, I’ve been able to spend quality time around men and women who served our country in the armed forces, as well as the spouses of these heroes. When I’m back at work in Marlow, I hear their stories about their long-distance relationships, the letters they wrote during periods of war, coming home to meet their children for the first time, and sometimes, and occasionally, I’m fortunate enough to get to hear stories about their time in battle. ”

Over the years, Garvin said she’s heard stories about the atomic bombs being dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki from the man who placed the switches on the bombs, and two-stepped with an original Rosie the Riveter. She also held the hand of a Normandy survivor as he took his final breath.

“I’ve listened to Taps be played more times than I can remember, but what I will never forget about each funeral service is watching the flags folded and gently placed in the hands of a family member left behind to honor the memory of their loved one and hearing the 21-gun salute by the Honor Guard, ” Garvin wrote in her letter. “The veterans I serve experienced incredible loss during their time in war. ”

Garvin’s letter, written prior to Memorial Day, urged her constituents to say a prayer of thanksgiving for the men and women “who had the courage to enlist, the bravery to fight and the selflessness to lay down their lives for those they loved, for those they had never met and for the generations of Americans who will enjoy freedom for years to come. ”

This article was reprinted with permission from the Southwest Ledger. n