WHITE RIVER JUNCTION — Veterans in their 80s, 90s and and even age 102 rolled up their sleeves to receive the first of two doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine at the White River Junction VA Medical Center on Thursday.
The 10 veterans served during World War II or the Korean War and were chosen to be among the first veterans to get their shots in White River Junction due to their risk of developing serious illness should they contract COVID-19. In interviews in the hallway of the medical center before and after their shots, they said they were looking forward to developing immunity to the disease so that they can once again visit with family members, do their own grocery shopping and celebrate special occasions.
For World War II Army veteran Bernard “Bernie” Mowrey, of Chester, Vt., that would include his 103rd birthday in May.
“I hope I don’t get it,” Mowrey said of COVID-19 as he waited for the vaccine to be administered.
Mowrey’s daughter and caregiver Carol Harris, who lives with him, said the two of them have been staying close to home during the pandemic with their two ponies and two German shepherds. She said she hopes the “two homebodies” can gather with her nine siblings and others for Mowrey’s 103rd birthday this year.
The veterans were among the first 650 employees and veterans who have so far received vaccines through the White River Junction VA. Thousands of others across the Twin States also have gotten the first dose of the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines. More than 14,000 people in Vermont had received their first dose as of Thursday, Vermont Health Commissioner Mark Levine said in a news release. That includes at least 1,040 in Windsor County and 407 in Orange County. In New Hampshire, more than 21,000 shots had been administered by Wednesday, according to health officials.
Arthur Kunin, a 95-year-old Burlington-area resident, said he hopes the vaccine will make it so that he can pick up his 1-year-old grandson.
“It means a tremendous amount,” Kunin said as he waited for his shot.
Kunin served in the Army infantry during World War II before becoming a physician, kidney specialist and professor at the University of Vermont medical school.
Though had originally intended to become an economist, he switched gears after being severely wounded in the war, where he earned a Purple Heart and Bronze Star medal.
“I felt I owed it to be a physician; to pay back what had been given me,” said Kunin, who was the husband of Madeleine Kunin during her tenure as governor of Vermont.
After receiving his shot, he said he felt a “little flick of pain,” which he said he hoped would be “the beginning of something.”
Navy veteran Marie Willis, a 98-year-old who lives at Quail Hollow in Lebanon, said getting the vaccine will help her to stay safe and allow her to see her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, as well as to get back to some of her usual day-to-day activities.
“I want to get to a store,” said Willis, who worked in naval intelligence in Washington D.C. during World War II and hasn’t been in a store since March.
The vaccine also helps to bring some peace of mind to Willis’ son Mike, a Hartland resident, who brought Willis to get her shot and does her weekly shopping now.
“She’s vulnerable,” he said. “This is going to help.”
World War II Navy veteran Barbara Folk, a 97-year-old who lives in Woodstock, said she has kept busy these past several months “tucked away” with her hobbies including knitting, hooking and painting.
For Folk, getting the vaccine offers hope that she’ll be able to get out and do other things such as visit with far-flung family members in the future.
“It means freedom, I guess,” she said.
Other recent COVID-19 vaccinations in the Upper Valley include a clinic at Menig nursing home in Randolph Center on Dec. 24; when 23 staff members and 30 residents received their first doses.
Members of the police and fire departments in Lebanon and Hanover also got their first doses of vaccine this week; 20 got theirs on Tuesday and another 40 were scheduled to receive the vaccine later this week, according to a news release from Lebanon. All such workers who opt in were set to receive their first dose by early next week.
As more vaccine becomes available, the VA will contact veterans to schedule the shots, according to a news release. More information about the vaccine rollout for veterans is available online at: va.gov/health-care/covid-19-vaccine/stay-informed.
Nora Doyle-Burr can be reached at ndoyleburr@vnews.com or 603-727-3213.
