HCAOA Members, Always Best Care, Share Client Stories from Military Veterans

​While many Americans relaxed for the long Memorial Day weekend, HCAOA took the opportunity to speak with members about how THEY honor their clients who are veterans. Always Best Care Senior Services of Glenview and the North Shore spoke with two clients who served their country and shared their stories: U.S. Army Veteran, Samuel Thomas and U.S. Navy Veteran, George Blinick.  

Samuel Thomas
At the age of 20, Sam Thomas (pictured with his Always Best Care caregiver Martha Morris) was drafted into the Army and began his training at boot camp in Louisiana. We asked Sam to tell us a little bit about his two years and eight months (1966-68) of service.

Q: What was boot camp like?
​A: It was set up to look like Vietnam. There were tunnels that had snakes hanging in them that we had to crawl through with a flashlight and a .45. You had to be between 4 feet 10 and 5 feet 3 – definitely not taller than 5 feet 5 – in order to be able to go into the tunnels. It was a tight squeeze. We learned how to march, exercise correctly, salute, take orders and take a rifle apart and put it back together blindfolded, in less than 1 minute. I learned all the different pieces of the rifle by their size and how they felt. I practiced over and over.

Q: What was your primary job after training?
A: I went to missile school and worked in artillery. I was a clerk in the depot – we gave soldiers the equipment that they needed.

Q: Where did you serve the majority of your time in the service?
A: My orders changed. Instead of going to Vietnam, I was sent to Germany in the 3rd Army Division. I spent 18 months of my time in the army in Germany.

Q: What rank are you most proud to have earned and why?
A: I earned a Spec 4, which meant I had men under me in the depot. We were in charge of distributing weapons & trucks to the soldiers.

Q: Which medals or citations are you most proud to have received and why?
A: I had good aim, and earned medals for launching grenades and shooting a bazooka. A bazooka can knock out a tank.

Q: What do you remember the most about your time in the service?
A: In Germany, we went out on excursions where we were out for weeks or months at a time. I liked the excursions the best. I got to see a lot of different places. I remember this one place in Germany where there was a tree that was so big they made a tunnel for cars and trucks to drive through the tree.

Q: Have you stayed in touch or had reunions with any people you served with?
​A: I stayed in touch with four or five of the guys when I first got out of the army; we all lived pretty close by each other. I lost touch with them when I moved to Ohio.

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​George Blinick
George Blinick (pictured at 18 years old in his Navy uniform) joined the U.S. Navy at age 17 and reported to boot camp at Naval Station Great Lakes in North Chicago. He joined at 17 because could choose which branch he would serve in; had he waited until turning 18, the military would have chosen for him.

Q: What was boot camp like?
A: We woke up really early and worked all day. I thought I might have some trouble with anti-Semitism because this was at the end of WWII and I was Jewish, but I didn't. It was a really good experience.
Q: What was your primary job after training?
A: I was a hospital corpsman. After boot camp, I went to school in San Diego and became a pharmacist's mate. I spent the majority of my time in the service in New Orleans, where I worked in a naval hospital for nine months as a pharmacist's mate, which meant doing everything from cleaning bedpans to giving injections. From there, I went to a base in Florida where we removed mines from the sea and I worked in the hospital there. I learned a lot during my time in the navy. My experiences helped me decided to become a pharmacist when I left the service. I attended the University of Illinois College of Pharmacy on the West Side – it was the only pharmacy school in the state at the time.

Q: What rank are you most proud to have earned and why?
A: I became a pharmacist's mate 3rd class, which is the equivalent of being a sergeant. When I joined the navy, I made 70 cents a day at boot camp – I was proud to earn a lot more as a pharmacist's mate 3rd class.

Q: What is your favorite memory of your time in service?
A: I enjoyed being in the navy. I learned a lot, got to travel to different parts of the United States, and I didn't have to shoot at anyone and no one shot at me.

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