This is the story of Galen Francis Veayo. He was born in Ontario, Canada on September 16, 1920.

A twin. His sister’s name was Oleavia.

The son of Joseph and Nina, he was the nephew and namesake of Maine educator Galen I. Veayo.

He was Dad’s second cousin; their grandfathers were brothers.

By the time Galen was 10, his family had moved to his father’s hometown of Bangor, Maine.

Galen’s high-school yearbook tells us he collected rare coins. He especially enjoyed collecting “World and Civil War relics.”

A bit of simple math tells us Galen was destined to serve in World War Two. After high school, he worked at Dow Field (renamed Dow Air Force Base in 1948) in Bangor.

Glancing through the base newspaper, I couldn’t resist clipping this ad:

A year after the attack on Pearl Harbor, with no end to the war in sight, Galen signed up.

Here’s his timeline, in 1942:
December 11: Galen was inducted into the United States Army
December 18: That Friday, Galen married his sweetheart, Nadia Canty
December 19: Galen reported to Fort Devens, Massachusetts

As noted in the article, Galen reported to Fort Devens, Massachusetts, the day after his wedding.

Galen arrived in France on June 6, 1944.

That’s right: D-Day.

By the end of the year, Galen was a Corporal. He was a member of 38th F.A., a unit of the famed Second Division, which was “outstanding in performance during World War I” according to a newspaper article.

Corporal Veayo received a Good Conduct Medal. He also received a Bronze Star, for “meritorious achievements in performance of outstanding service against the enemy in northwest Europe.”

It was just a few weeks later that Galen’s wife and parents received frightening news. He’d been seriously injured in the Battle of the Bulge, Hitler’s last major offensive campaign on the Western Front.

Galen was injured in Belgium on December 19, his family was told. His injuries were serious, but he was being cared for in a Paris hospital.

The newspaper article detailing Galen’s injury invited friends and family to write to him, but not to expect a reply, as his injuries prevented that.

Here’s what the military records state:

By the end of May that year, Galen was back in the States. Following a 30-day furlough in Bangor, he returned to the U.S. General Hospital at Camp Edwards in Massachusetts.

It was there in the hospital that Corporal Veayo was awarded a Purple Heart.

The oldest U.S. military decoration, the Purple Heart is given to those who are wounded or killed while fighting in the nation’s wars.

Corporal Veayo’s time in the Army ended on October 31, 1945. He returned to Bangor, to his bride, and to a quiet life.

Galen and Nadia had one child, Jayne, born in 1950. Galen worked as a clerk at the Post Office. They lived in a sweet ranch home.

Galen lived to be 87. Nadia died six years later, in 2014. Her touching obituary pointed out her love for her husband of 65 years: “her childhood sweetheart, her soul mate, her best friend.”

And after their abrupt separation the day after their wedding, Galen and Nadia will never again be apart.

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