The Connecticut chapter of the House of Heroes stepped in again on Saturday to help a deserving World War II veteran in Berlin.
Ninety-two-year-old Eugene Polaske served in the United States Marine Corps, enlisting in 1945 at the age of 17.
“I quit school. Didn’t feel like going to school anymore,” he said.
Years later, he and his wife settled into their Berlin home, raising their three children. Now, about 60 years later, it needed some basic repairs. About 30 volunteers spent the day putting in a new deck, front railing and landscaping.
“Our veterans need to be thanked,” House of Heroes Connecticut Chair Carol May said. “Many of them were never thanked for their service to our country.
The Connecticut chapter of the non-profit has been serving veterans since 2012, doing free, one-day home repairs to make the day-to-day more manageable. For its 122nd project, the Newington-based company, PCX Aerostructures, stepped in again.
”We supply an awful lot of product for our men and women in uniform and we support them in our business and often times they don’t get the kind of support they need once they’re back,” PCX Aerostructures President & CEO Jeff Frisby said. “We see this as a wonderful opportunity to give back.”
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Polaske said he is overwhelmed by the organization’s support and grateful to stay in the home he has made a lifetime of memories in.
”I think I lived a good life. I don’t think I’d want to change anything. If I had to do it, I’d do it all over again the same way,” he added.
