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Through the 11 of Us project, WNPR and CPBN's Institute for Advanced Media are sharing eleven personal stories from veterans and those in their community.In the series, veterans talk about their service and what it means to be a veteran.CPBN is hosting a clothing drive for veterans and their families in Connecticut. Bring new clothing with tags still attached, or gift cards for the purchase of new clothing, to CPBN at 1049 Asylum Avenue in Hartford, attention Mike Komrosky. The drive ends November 17.11 of Us is made possible by Victory Energy Solutions and New England Conservation Services.

Connecticut Veteran Teaches Students About World War II and the Importance of Kindness

"What I had witnessed was something in my chest I couldn't get it off."
Ben Cooper

In the days leading up to Veterans Day, WNPR is highlighting stories from veterans and those in their communities.

Ben Cooper lives in Colchester and was a combat medic in World War II.

"So I got assigned to what was known as the 45th Infantry Division 'til the end of the war," Cooper said. "It's not like you say, hey, I don’t think I want to do this. I want to go home. You’re there for a purpose, and you just do what you have to do.

"We had no idea that there was a concentration camp called Dachau. The commander from our from the 45th infantry division got orders to secure a camp. The guards were shooting at our soldiers. They had to fight their way in. They overcame the guards. They go through the gates, and what they saw was unreal.

"After the war, there were no counselors. We didn’t have any counselor if we had any problems whatever. We were let loose. Once you got your discharge, you were free to go. I had my duffel bag with me, and I came home.

Credit VICTOR SUWATCHARAPINUN / CPBN
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CPBN
Ben Cooper is a World War II veteran who served with the U.S. Army's 45th Infantry Division.
Credit Victor Suwatcharapinun / CPBN
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CPBN
Ben Cooper with items from World War II. He served in the 45th Infantry Division in the U.S. Army.

"But what I didn’t realize: what I had witnessed was something in my chest I couldn’t get it off. By the way, I never told my wife, my children, or my parents about what I witnessed. It wasn’t 'til 1990 when a teacher from Torrington called me up. From that time, I got in touch with schools, and have been speaking to schools since. It’s been a healing process for us. We never get over it, but it does heal in some way."

Lucy leads Connecticut Public's strategies to deeply connect and build collaborations with community-focused organizations across the state.

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT is an initiative from Connecticut Public, the state’s local NPR and PBS station, to elevate Latino stories and expand programming that uplifts and informs our Latino communities. Visit CTPublic.org/latino for more stories and resources. For updates, sign up for the SOMOS CONNECTICUT newsletter at ctpublic.org/newsletters.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

Fund the Facts

You just read trusted, local journalism that’s free for everyone, thanks to donors like you.

If that matters to you, now is the time to give. Join the 50,000+ members powering honest reporting and a more connected — and civil! — Connecticut.

Connecticut Public’s journalism is made possible, in part by funding from Jeffrey Hoffman and Robert Jaeger.