Alice Hargreaves Fay worked hard on the frontlines of World War II as a 1st Lt. Army Nurse Corps, but it wasn’t all work and no play.
I’ll tell you, we worked hard but we had fun. We had fun! said Fay.
Fay, 89, risked her life and saved countless others during her service and was recognized for her bravery on Monday, June 20, when Congressman Chris Gibson presented her with three service medals: the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with a Bronze Service star, the World War II Victory Medal and Honorable Service Lapel Button.
`On behalf of a grateful nation in debt to you for your service, we say, ‘Thank you,’` said Gibson.
Fay’s friend, LtC. Carl Thurman, found out she’d never received her service medals, so on May 1 he contacted Gibson’s office and by June 2, the medals were authorized by the Military Personnel Record Office.
`I want to thank LtC. Carl who actually brought this to our attention. It’s not uncommon, actually. You’d think all our servicemen and women would have gotten all the medals they had coming to them by the time they separated from service but not all received decoration before discharge,` said Gibson. `We’re here today to make that right.`
Fay, surrounded by her son, daughter, grandchildren and friends at the Wesley Health Care Center in Saratoga Springs, said she hopes her medals will open doors for other servicemen and women to receive their long overdue formal recognition.
`I appreciate this very much. I don’t know whether I feel embarrassed or not but I’m glad to get the medals,` said Fay. `Like most of the guys who are here who are veterans and who haven’t gotten their medals yet, maybe they will now.`
When Fay was 19, she trained as a nurse and in 1944 was deployed overseas to England for about six weeks before being formally deployed in theater to Germany, where she treated soldiers on the front lines.
`Alice’s professionalism and calmness under pressure saved lives and I have seen the work of our nurses first hand in combat and I will tell you it is nothing short of miraculous,` said Gibson.
She was happy to join the Army and do her part, said Fay.
`I was glad to go in the Army, we all went. If you can just imagine what the country was like in those days, with all the flags around, everybody was going, everybody was helping,` said Fay.
Home never seemed quite as far away as it was, said Fay, because of all the people she met.
`No matter where you went, you met somebody you knew who was from this neck of the woods, who knew one of your family, and you connected that way,` said Fay. `I don’t think anybody was really allowed to be homesick for any length of time or to be alone for any length of time because there were so many of us out there getting to know each other.`
Nursing under fire also proved to be an invaluable history and geography lesson, said Fay.
`Nowadays I don’t think young folks know where this is or where that is. We learned, we were there, we learned a lot,` said Fay. `I think we learned how to get along with other people better.`
When Fay returned from service she met her husband, Joe Fay, who served in WWII in the Navy and returned to active duty during the Korean War. They raised their family in Niskayuna and Fay was head nurse at Glendale Nursing Home in Glenville for about 20 years.
Gibson said since nobody can truly understand what the U.S. was like during the uncertain times of WWII, it’s even more imperative to properly acknowledge Fay’s contributions.
`It’s appropriate we have the youth of America here today because I want you to know, in your early years here on the Earth, we wouldn’t be here today were it not for the courage and contribution of Grandma right here,` said Gibson.
“
