World War II Veteran That Served In South Pacific Turns 105, Town Gives Her A Parade

Sep 02, 2020 by apost team

Athena Wright has recently celebrated her 105th birthday in Scottsdale, Arizona. The city put on a glorious parade in celebration of her birthday, as well as her lifetime accomplishments. She had been a very active member of the medical corps in her youth and has served through plenty of great events in United States history, such as World War II.

There once was a time when women could not serve in the U.S army alongside men. Of course, this was a few decades ago and women are now given free rein to join the army. Athena joined during a time when men ruled the nation.

As reported by Patch, Athena was born in 1915, a few years before the dreaded, and the most famous battle of U.S. history, World War II. When soldiers were recruited for the battle, Athena decided that she wanted to fight alongside her fellow Americans. At that time, women were mainly allowed into the battlefield as nurses.

Athena became a part of the Army Nurse Corps in the South Pacific. During her time there, she was awarded two Bronze Stars and uplifted to the position of a Second Lieutenant.

She turned 105 years old on August 25 and was given a large celebration to show appreciation for her dedication to serving America. The city of Scottsdale hosted a drive-by birthday parade in her honor.

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Almost every department of the city was included in the parade, such as the police department, fire department, and the library. To make her day even more special, her birthday was officially declared "Athena Wright Day."

The video of this parade was posted on the city's Twitter handle. There were multiple performances as everyone celebrated her lifetime achievements. Athena later declared that while she knew that the city was hosting a parade in her honor, she never expected that it would be so grand.

She claims that she served in the army solely because she has a great love for the United States. She took on the responsibility of treating all the wounded soldiers who came into her care and put all of her efforts into doing so.

The celebration was not only done for her birthday but as a show of appreciation for everything she had achieved while in the army. Throughout her life, Athena had been heavily engaged in the field of medical corps. She went to school to become a registered nurse and then joined the army before the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

Afterward, she engaged in work at hospital stations in Australia as well as New Guinea. That was where she met her husband who was a major.

The couple later had a daughter whom they named Diane. During December 1944, she was relieved from active duty and returned to the United States where she stayed with her family. She spent more time working in hospitals before transferring to the National Institute of Health.

According to ABC10, Athena currently resides in Scottsdale, Arizona where she decided to settle down after her retirement. City records show that she has lived there since the year 2000. She is living with her husband in the Pueblo Norte Senior Living community in Scottsdale and enjoying her life to the fullest. Of course, it was certainly a life well lived.

The city of Scottsdale is extremely thankful for Athena's service to the country and her great commitment to helping those in need. It is quite rare to find such brilliant individuals as her.

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