Dying WWII paratrooper may get to be with wife in nursing home
PUEBLO, Colo. -- An anonymous donor wants to help a World War II paratrooper dying of cancer spend his last days with his wife in a Colorado nursing home that is not approved by the Veterans Administration.
Elmer Melchi, 92, who jumped into Normandy on D-Day and later was captured by the Germans in the Netherlands, is in hospice care, while his wife, June Melchi, who has had dementia for several years, is at a nursing home in the city of Pueblo that is not sanctioned by the VA.
Someone offered to pay for 10 days of care for Elmer Melchi at the nursing home after the Pueblo Chieftain newspaper reported their story Saturday.
Their son Garry Melchi said Wednesday that his father's health has declined in recent days but that if he becomes stable enough, he will be moved into the facility with his wife.
The VA has offered to let the couple stay together in a home in its system, but Garry Melchi fears the move would confuse his mother. He is thankful for the donation but still believes the agency should cover the cost.
VA spokesman Dan Warvi said he could not comment further without a waiver from the family to discuss Elmer Melchi's case.
"We are aware of the situation, and we are trying to address the family's concerns," he said.
Garry Melchi said his father was captured during Operation Market Garden, shot while trying to escape a POW camp and finally freed after the Russians liberated the camp. He said his father walked across Germany and France and got on a boat to go to England, where the future June Melchi thought he was dead.
"He only had one thing on his mind -- get to my mom," Garry Melchi said.
He said his father drove to the nursing home to see his 89-year-old mother four times a week until his health worsened on New Year's Eve.