At the town senior center in Reading, Mass., veterans come together once a month for gatherings they call scuttlebutt meetings — named after the naval term for the cask of water on a vessel, where sailors would gather and talk.
At last month's meeting on Thursday, just days before Veterans Day, two dozen veterans packed into the room on the second floor of the Pleasant Street Center.
"There's something about being in the military, the camaraderie of being in the military, and when you get a bunch of veterans together from all different conflicts, they tend to open up and relax and share stories. It's just amazing," said Kevin Bohmiller, the veterans services officer for the town of Reading. A Navy vet, Bohmiller has been hosting these meetings for four years.
The group celebrates milestones together, too. Air Force veteran Bill Brown, who served during the Korean War, turned 89 and was honored with a cake last week, along with a rousing rendition of "Happy Birthday."
World War II veteran Jack Swymer said this Veterans Day marks his 94th birthday.
Swymer grew up in Woburn and took part in the 1944 invasion of Normandy. His job on D-Day was to ferry troops and tanks onto Omaha Beach. He said one memory in particular has stayed with him — a conversation he had with one of the infantry soldiers as they waited to land.
"He says to me, 'You're going to drop me off, and then you leave.' And I said yeah," said Swymer, who became emotional as he recounted the conversation. "I often think of that soldier, and hope he made it out all right. I just hope he made it out all right."
Swymer returned home, graduated high school and college, and then sold insurance for 40 years. He has six children, and two dozen grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Army Corporal Ray Gardner attended his first scuttlebutt meeting last week. Like Swymer, Gardner is a veteran of World War II. He fought in the 1945 Battle of Okinawa, one of the final and most deadly battles of the war. While Gardner survived, 12,500 Army soldiers and Marines did not. He said that memory stays with him.
"I dream about it. It comes up in the daytime, and then I have a dream at night," Gardner said.
Gardner grew up in Charleston, Vt., and after the war he returned to his family's farm. He married in 1950, moved to Reading, and worked for the Postal Service for 40 years. He has six children, 17 grandchildren, and several great-grandchildren.
Arthur Hubbard, 95, is another World War II veteran living in Reading. Born and raised in Malden, Mass., Hubbard was assigned to a machine gun group and spent six months in England, training for what turned out to be D-Day.
"Truly, we didn't know when or what time or whatever was taking place, because it was all in secrecy," he said. Like Swymer, Hubbard said he found himself on Omaha Beach. His captain ordered him to do reconnaissance. "What we saw was death and destruction. It was everywhere, and the worse thing, probably, is that you couldn't do anything about it."
Hubbard returned home, married, and got a job in the carpet business. He opened his own company in 1968, what is now named AJ Hubbard & Sons. Hubbard has three children, and one of his sons now runs the family business.
Over the years, Hubbard has traveled extensively. His favorite pastimes have included golf and ballroom dancing. He went ballroom dancing with his wife every weekend for 35 years.
Bohmiller said Hubbard's life story, and all of the stories the veterans share, are amazing and humbling.
"People say, 'Thank you for your service,'" Bohmiller said, "and I know some veterans, they don't know what to say when people say, 'Thank you for your service.' So what I like to say now is: Welcome home."
