Bradenton twins who served in WWII near 100. Veterans Day will be special for retired nurses
Twins Marian Boyer and Millie Dost, who served as nurses during World War II, are turning 100 on Nov. 22. They will be the center of attention Wednesday at the Veterans Day service at Westminster Manor.
Unfortunately, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the service is closed to the public.
“We saw a lot of amputations and hernia operations for the guys coming back from the Pacific,” said Marian Boyer in a phone interview. She served as a Navy surgical nurse in Virginia, California and Hawaii during the final two years of the war.
Marian’s sister Millie, who is in the medical unit at Westminster Manor and was unable to take part in a phone interview, served as an Army nurse at Fort Knox, Ky. In a 2012 interview, Millie said she had never worked with paraplegics before joining the Army. During the war, she would see many of them.
The sisters got their nursing training at Lutheran Hospital in Cleveland. Marian became a nurse because she wanted to become a flight attendant, a prerequisite in those days. But when the airlines stopped taking applications for stewardesses, as they were called then, because of the war, she volunteered for the Navy.
Millie applied to be an Army nurse, but was turned down six times because of injuries suffered when she was 9. She incurred her injuries when a wrong-way driver struck their car head-on.
“Millie had a window open and she went flying out,” Marian said. Doctors didn’t think the young girl would survive, and if she did, she would never be able to have children.
“She fooled everyone,” Marian said. Not only did Millie survive, she married, had three children, several grandchildren, and 16 great-grandchildren.
On Millie’s seventh time applying for Army duty, she was accepted.
For most of their working careers after the war, Millie lived in Cleveland, and Marian lived in New Jersey where she owned a small nursing home. Before her retirement, Marian worked for about a decade at Manatee Memorial Hospital. Both sisters stayed active with volunteer work into their 90s.
“When you are use to being busy, you don’t enjoy being idle,” Marian said.
The sisters have lived at Westminster Manor for about 10 years.
In 2012, they were part of an Honor Flight to Washington D. C. to visit the World War II Memorial.
Marian called her World War II service a highlight of her life, and added the pandemic that the world is struggling with will also pass.
“I never thought I would live to be 100. You have to adapt to life,” she said.
Other Veterans Day events in Bradenton
Also planned in the Bradenton area for Veterans Day:
▪ The Manatee County Veterans Council will have a virtual service that can be viewed on METV or on YouTube. There will not be a public Veterans Day service or parade this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
▪ Goodwill Manasota invites veterans and their families to a free hot breakfast 7-11 a.m. Wednesday at Goodwill’s Veterans Service Program, 8490 Lockwood Ridge Road. Representatives from several local veterans’ partner organizations, including SRQ Vets, Jewish Family & Children’s Services, the University of South Florida, Sarasota-Manatee, Veteran Air, and more will attend to assist veterans in need, or to recruit veterans who would like to get involved.
Goodwill Manasota’s Veterans Services Program offers assistance with and information on VA claims, employment, housing, the GI Bill, and many other services that help veterans and their families with basic needs or to reintegrate into civilian life. For everyone’s safety, public health recommendations related to COVID-19, such as mask-wearing and social distancing, will be observed at this event. For more information, call the Veterans Services Program office at 941-355-2721, ext. 451.
▪ CareerSource Suncoast, along with partners State College of Florida Manatee-Sarasota and University of South Florida, Sarasota-Manatee, are participating in the state’s eighth-annual Paychecks for Patriots, a hiring fair dedicated to employing veterans, 2-6 p.m. Thursday. Job seekers interesting in attending and employers who would like a free booth may register at careersourcesuncoast.com/events
▪ This month, in honor of Veteran’s Day, the Manatee County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller’s Office is providing a number of complimentary services to veterans. Throughout the entire month of November, military veterans and active-duty personnel can receive free passport photographs with a passport application, as well as complimentary copies and notary services. Applicants will be asked to provide a DD214 and/or military identification for the waived passport photograph fee.
▪ The 2020 Manatee County Stand Down will look very different this year. Due to COVID-19, this year’s event will only be limited to the Veterans Amnesty Court and Veterans Services information tables. Turning Points is hosting this event in partnership with the Twelfth Judicial Circuit Court. Opening ceremonies start the Stand Down at 8 a.m. with Amnesty Court following. Last year the Amnesty Court by the Twelfth Judicial Circuit Court heard 42 cases, 11 evictions were set aside and $25,582.37 in fines and court fees for local veterans were dismissed. Veterans Amnesty Court can assist with unpaid court fees/fines (closed cases), unpaid traffic fines/fees, and driver license assistance. Veterans are asked to bring their VA card or DD-214 and a driver’s license.
▪ Tidewell Hospice and the Tidewell Honors Veterans Program present a Veterans Day webinar with former POW and national motivational speaker Jessica Lynch. The free webinar is open to the public as part of Tidewell Hospice’s yearlong 40th anniversary celebration. The webinar will be held at 1 p.m. Wednesday. Advance registration is available at tidewellhospice.org/jessicalynch. On March 23, 2003, U.S. Army PFC Jessica Lynch was injured and captured by Iraqi forces after her unit was ambushed in Iraq. She was rescued after nine days in captivity on April 1, 2003, by U.S. Special Operations Forces. Jessica’s rescue was the first successful rescue of an American POW since World War II.
This story was originally published November 9, 2020 at 12:00 AM.
