102-year-old Edina woman reflects on her time serving in the Women's Army Corps during WWII
EDINA, Minn. — In remembering 80 years since D-Day, it's important not to forget the contribution women made during World War II.
At age 22, Florence Cecere felt called to serve and joined the Women's Army Corp. Today, she's 102 years old and lives in Edina.
She grew up in Currie, Minnesota, a small farm town south of Marshall.
"Since there weren't any boys in our family, there were eight girls, I just felt that somebody from our family should contribute," said Cecere.
After training at Fort Des Moines, she became a nurse's aide at Northington General Hospital in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, taking care of the men severely injured on the front lines.
"I was able to assist the nurses in the care of paralyzed patients, which was very sad and really made you realize the cost of war to young men," said Cecere.
Her job went beyond medical care. She built friendships with her patients, lifting their spirits in a dark time.
"They were all sweet guys," said Cecere.
These women in the Army Corps took on a lot of the trauma they witnessed, but made sure to find joy in their job as well.
"We had a tight-knit group, in fact, we had a softball team. We played softball, and we had a lot of fun really," said Cecere.
Cecere continues to treasure the Women's Army Corps Uniform she wore at age 22. She's still just as patriotic as the young woman who wore it, now at age 102.
"It was for our country, and at that time our country needed us," said Cecere.
After Cecere left the Women's Army Corps in 1945, she continued to work as a medical assistant for doctors.
She turns 103 in August.