On D-Day anniversary, fewer World War II veterans remain alive in Erie to tell their stories

More U.S. servicemembers died during World War II than the number of veterans of that war are still alive today.

Of the 16 million servicemembers from 1941 to 1945, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs says 291,557 suffered battle deaths. The VA had estimated the number of living U.S. World War II veterans would be less than a quarter of a million by late 2021 and will be 168,278 by Sept. 30 this year. There were 5.7 million in 2000, according to U.S. Census Bureau information.

"As the quality of life and health of our World War II veterans decline, we lose so much — living history and testimonials. No one can tell their stories better; the emotion, the vivid recollection, the details — it’s simply amazing. To hear a veteran describe their experiences serving in conflict is priceless," said Chanel Cook, public affairs officer for the Erie Veterans Affairs Medical Center. "They are truly exceptional humans."

Seventy-eight years ago, on June 6, 1944, more than 150,000 of those exceptional humans landed on the beaches of Normandy, France, according to an online U.S. Army history of D-Day. The Allied troops were supported by more than 5,000 ships and 13,000 aircraft.

More than 9,000 troops were killed or wounded in the D-Day invasion. Far fewer than that are still alive now. The National D-Day Memorial website estimated that fewer than 3,000 veterans of D-Day were still living in 2021.

Six World War II veterans are residents of the Pennsylvania Soldiers' and Sailors' Home in Erie, but none took part in D-Day. The home had 32 World War II veterans on June 2, 2017, and 11 on June 2, 2012.

Watch the GoErie video series Our Fight: Erie in World War II

Angelo Phillips, assistant activity director at the home, thinks the fluctuation was because five years ago more veterans were both living and had reached the age at which they were needing the kind of care the home provides. He said the six there now are in their 90s.

The Erie Veterans Affairs Medical Center has 343 World War II veterans actively enrolled in VA health care for fiscal year 2022, according to information provided by Cook. Their average age is 96.

The number of actively enrolled World War II veterans has dropped from 792 in fiscal year 2018 to 645 in 2019, 523 in 2020 and 397 in 2021.

Age-related conditions aside, veterans of World War II may be at risk of illness or injuries caused by noise, ionizing radiation, occupational or job-related hazards, extreme cold and poisonous mustard gas, according to information provided by Cook.

They could suffer from hearing loss due to sounds from guns, explosives, rockets, heavy weapons, jets and aircraft. They might have been exposed to ionizing radiation, a type of radiation exposure from atmospheric and underground nuclear weapons tests. Those who served during the Battle of the Bulge, conducted from December 1944 through January 1945 under conditions of extreme cold, might be prone to skin cancer in frostbite scars or pain, tingling or numbness in the fingers and toes.

Phillips said the six World War II veterans at the Soldiers' and Sailors' Home are all doing OK physically. They are, in general, proud of their service to their country, even if they don't talk about it much or consider it to have been special. For many, he said, they just say they did what they were supposed to do.

One of the six is Charles "Charlie" Anderson. He has difficulty hearing but otherwise is doing well for 96 years old. An Erie native who attended Academy High School, he entered the U.S. Navy in February 1944 just four days before his 18th birthday and served about a year and a half.

"I guess I wanted to be patriotic," he said in explaining why he volunteered.

For subscribers:From horseback to Normandy, Erie County veteran, 105, recalls his Army service

Known as a "Sparky," he was in the Air Corps, fixing radios in planes and also flying in airplanes that transported servicemembers and kept a lookout for ships in the Atlantic Ocean. He said he got paid an extra $4 when flying.

"I was a sailor and I never sailed on a ship," he joked. "I sailed in the air."

He spent time in North Carolina and Virginia but didn't make it overseas because his crew left the United States when he was on vacation.

Anderson said he had enlisted with six pals, all expecting excitement.

"The reason we went in the Navy was we didn't want to sleep in a trench someplace," he said. "We would maybe sleep in a swinging bunk on a ship someplace but that never happened."

From 2019:Erie WWII vet to be honored by France

Asked what he wants people to remember about World War II, Anderson said, "how horrible it was, just like every other war." He said towns were destroyed and millions of people died.

Because of what the Allies, led by the United States, Great Britain and the Soviet Union, achieved in defeating the Axis of Germany, Italy and Japan, "you're here now," Anderson said.

D-Day was the start of the liberation of Western Europe from the control of Nazi Germany. The victory at Normandy was a key part of the Allied victory in World War II.

Even as the number of D-Day and World War II veterans continues to decline, their accomplishments still deserve recognition and to be remembered on anniversaries like June 6.

"They called us the greatest generation, for a reason," said Anderson, who returned to Erie after the war, married and had seven children. "When we (came) back from the war, we all went to work, got a job, raised kids and we lived the American dream. That's what it was all about to begin with."

75th anniversary:Memories of D-Day stay with Corry veteran

Learn more

U.S. Army veteran Richard Arthur of Union Township will discuss "Pennsylvania's Role in D-Day" on Monday at 6 p.m. at the Lincoln Community Center Library, 1255 Manchester Road. His free talk is a Jefferson Educational Society program. Arthur said he will share stories about people and places from western Pennsylvania related to the June 6, 1944, invasion at Normandy. That will include manufacturing businesses in and around Erie that did work in support of D-Day, such as Willy's, which manufactured Jeeps, and General Electric, which built turbine engines for ships. Registration is required. To learn more, call 814-459-8000 or visit jeserie.org.

Contact Dana Massing at dmassing@timesnews.com. Follow her on Twitter @ETNmassing.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: On D-Day anniversary, fewer World War II veterans alive to tell stories