Korean War Veteran and Chestnut Knoll Resident Honored in Armed Forces Day Parade

Chestnut Knoll Personal Care and Memory Care is proud to be home for many veterans, and one of them was honored in the Reading Armed Forces Day Parade. Chestnut Knoll resident Bill Mauger was invited to be part of the parade because of his time served in the Korean War.

Mauger, 83, served in the army during the Korean War, from 1951-1953. He received the Army of Occupation Medal (AOM) for his time (six months) in the Bavarian Alps and Ellwangen, Germany, a post-World War II occupied territory from '45 to '55.  He was with the 103rd Engineer C Battalion. He was also in Alabama, as well as Missouri, Texas and Louisiana.

He was honored in the Reading Armed Forces Day Parade as an armed forces marshal, riding in a car driven by his grandson. The parade was held Saturday, May 18, starting on Penn Avenue in Wyomissing and ending in West Reading. He also received a breakfast before the parade, and lunch afterward.

In addition to the Armed Forces parade, Mauger was invited to go to Harrisburg on Tuesday, June 11 to be honored at the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. Representative Mark Gillen will be presenting a House of Representatives resolution to honor the 60th anniversary of the Korean War Armistice at 11 a.m. There will be a presentation before the session where Mauger and several other vets will be honored, sitting in front of the House of Representatives.

Mauger was born in Kenilworth, Chester County, where he grew up with three brothers and two sisters, and graduated from North Coventry High School in 1947. His wife of almost 49 years, Loel Mauger passed away in 2003, the same day the space shuttle Columbia went down.

“She was from New York, and her brother Victor (Cork) was in the same company as Dad in the army,” said Paul Mauger, one of Bill’s three sons. “Cork was going to give her picture to another army buddy so he could write to her, and my dad ‘stole’ the picture and wrote to her instead! ‘And the rest is history.’ Her photo is at the head of his bed at Chestnut Knoll, and it often moves him to say, ‘Yeah, she was quite a lady, wasn't she?’”

He lived in North Coventry Township most of his life and worked for 31 years at Pennhurst State School and Hospital, until moving to Chestnut Knoll in June 2011. He is a long-time member of the Coventry Church of the Brethren, where he still plays the piano sometimes when he gets a ride to church. When he was younger he did a little hunting and fishing, and his hobbies include playing the piano and bowling, which he continued doing right up to the time he moved to Chestnut Knoll.

“We were a little concerned about whether he would want to stay at Chestnut Knoll, but he took to it very well after a short time of adapting, and at one point told me he would not go back to living by himself if he had the chance,” said Paul Mauger. “He's very social and the staff love having him there. We like the staff, too, which is why we ended up feeling okay about him staying.”

“Bill is extremely social,” said Jennelle Jamison, director of the Memory Care Neighborhood. “He always has a smile on his face, and loves to joke around. He tries to brighten other people’s day with his sense of humor and you often hear him say ‘Hello pretty lady’ to residents, staff and guests. Chestnut Knoll is lucky to have Bill as a resident. We are so proud of him and we thank him for serving our country.”

Chestnut Knoll offers Personal Care and Memory Care residences at an affordable month-to-month basis with no buy-in fees. Services include 24-hour personal care assistance with medical support, meals, housekeeping, social events and transportation. Chestnut Knoll also offers At Home care services available to seniors where they live. For more information on Chestnut Knoll Personal Care, Memory Care, or At Home Services, please call Jodie Daniels, assistant executive director, at 610-473-8066 or visit www.chestnutknoll.com.