The COVID-19 world pandemic, 9/11 World Trade Center terror assault and the moon touchdown are simply a number of the memorable occasions one World War II veteran witnessed earlier than her one hundredth birthday Aug. 29.
"It doesn't seem real to be turning 100," Lorraine Mulvaney Vogelsang stated. "I've seen a lot in my lifetime, but it seems that the time goes so fast for the young people, and even faster for the older people."
Great Depression
Vogelsang, a local of Fairfax, Ohio, grew up the third of eight brothers and sisters through the Great Depression. Her father misplaced his job, and her mom would go hungry so the youngsters may eat.
"We ate a lot of bologna in many different ways," she stated. "The butcher asked us once if that was all we ate."
Vogelsong did not full highschool as a result of her mom grew to become unwell and wanted assist with the youngsters. When her mom received higher, she started working at a neighborhood laundry facility as a hand-presser till she joined WAAC, the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps.
Military Service
Vogelsang served within the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps from February to August 1943. In January 1943, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed laws dropping "auxiliary" from the identify. On Aug. 11, she transitioned from the WAAC to the Women's Army Corps, the place she served till her separation in August 1945 with the rank of sergeant.
She stated her dad and mom weren't thrilled about her becoming a member of the navy.
"Mom and dad weren't too happy about it," she recalled. "But they never did say they didn't want me to go in."
She left for fundamental coaching at Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia, from the prepare station in close by Cincinnati, Ohio.
"I remember mom and dad taking me to the station," Vogelsang stated. "Once I got to the train, I couldn't see them anymore and that was it. I was on my own."
During coaching, Vogelsang remembers spending a lot of her time on the parade grounds.
"It was a huge circle with houses all around it that was used in the Civil War. It was turned into housing," she stated. "We occasionally would get shows or visitors to our base. In fact, one of the visitors was President Franklin Roosevelt, and we paraded for him."
After 4 weeks of fundamental coaching, which included marching in parades, she labored as a navy baker for seven months, a clerk for nearly a yr and a half, and a brief stint as a butcher-in-training.
"When they were trying me out as a butcher, they taught us how to use the sharp knives and which ones to use on what parts of the carcass," Vogelsang stated. "Then, two men came in from a truck outside carrying a dead lamb, and that's all I remember. I guess I passed out because I don't remember anything else after that. I didn't last very long in that job."
After her time at Fort Oglethorpe, she went to Lubbock Army Airfield in Texas for the remainder of her enlistment.
The navy as soon as put her picture on a recruitment poster, she stated. However, she would not recall the poster ever being formally used as a result of the conflict ended earlier than it could possibly be distributed.
After the conflict, Vogelsong married and had three kids. As she celebrated her centennial birthday along with her household, she had a tip for longevity.
"The key to reaching 100 is staying busy and keeping your body moving," she stated.
