100-year-old Veteran Honored With Living Legend Proclamation

BREWSTER – After celebrating her 100th birthday on Aug. 2, Helen Sanford was given a living legend proclamation by the Military Women’s Memorial to commemorate her time in the WAVES — the U.S. Navy’s Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service, a program established during World War II. 

 Sanford served during the war from August 1945 to June 1946 as a pharmacist's mate third class. The WAVES program was designed to allow women to join the Navy in a non-combat role, freeing up more men to join the front lines. 

Dawn Slaven, a veteran of the U.S. Air Force and ambassador for the Military Women’s Memorial, gifted Sanford with the proclamation and an American flag that was flown over the Capitol in Washington, D.C. 

Also on hand was Mel Bloom, a U.S. Air Force Veteran and founder of 3-5-0 Girls, an organization dedicated to sharing the stories of women who served their country.

Bloom was outfitted in an authentic World War II uniform, similar to what Sanford would’ve worn during her time in the service. 

“There are women in the Navy today that are serving because of what you contributed,” said Bloom. “It was supposed to be an emergency measure. Your contribution made it permanent. You gave women a permanent place in the Army.”   

 During the ceremony Sanford shared a few stories about her time in the service. She said she received a lot of pushback from her male counterparts, as it was still frowned upon for women to serve in the military. When met with offhand remarks about her service, Sanford would reply, “Were you drafted or did you enlist? Because I volunteered.” 

 Sanford said that to this day she is very proud of her service and would re-enlist if she could. 

 When asked why she decided to join the Navy, she said she preferred the color blue to the color brown. 

 To learn more about the Military Women’s Memorial, visit womensmemorial.org. The organization facilitates speakers, holds events and registers service members. 

To learn more about 3-5-0 Girls, visit threefiveohgirls.com. Bloom regularly attends events, curates museum collections and shares pop-up displays.