Editorial: Dracut’s Greatest Generation member honored with DC trip

A member of the Greatest Generation honored once more by a grateful nation.

An event of this significance can’t fly under the radar, even if the honoree left in the cloak of Sunday morning darkness for his flight to our nation’s capital.

That’s what Dracut resident Frederick “Pat” Walor discovered, when he encountered dozens of people on his front lawn to give him a rousing sendoff.

Pat’s family, friends, Dracut police and firefighters, staff from the Centralville Sportsman’s Club in Dracut that Pat frequents, Boy Scouts Troop 80 and Cub Scouts Pack 8 stood before him to cheer him on as the sun just began to peek over the horizon.

Actually, he should have known something was up.

If it wasn’t the fact that state Rep. Colleen Garry presented a citation from the Massachusetts House of Representatives ahead of his departure, he certainly knew by the time Dracut police and Chief Peter Bartlett arrived in his kitchen.

That’s when Sandy Walor, one of his daughters who served as a designated trip guardian, took him outside in a wheelchair.

It was Sandy that nominated her father for the Honor Flight, for which was rightfully chosen.

On that Sunday, just days after the 80th anniversary of D-Day and Walor’s arrival in France, he joined 60 other veterans on a flight provided by Honor Flight New England to Washington.

There, with two other World War II veterans, and veterans of the Korean and Vietnam conflicts, Walor toured the city’s war memorials before being honored for service to his country.

For veterans of Walor’s ilk, of whom only 119,000 still survive out of the 16 million who served in that momentous undertaking, it truly stands as a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Now 100, Walor served in the Army during World War II, enlisting in 1942 at 18 years old. He landed on Utah Beach along France’s Normandy coast just four days after D-Day in June of 1944. Two months later, he received a Purple Heart on his 21st birthday for injuries sustained from German artillery in Belgium.

During his time in the European Theater, he also received the Europe and American Campaign medals, the Combat Infantry Badge, a Bronze Star, the World War II Victory Medal and a Distinguished Unit Ribbon.

Pat’s oldest daughter, Patty Diodati, said her father was shocked at all the attention he was getting.

“He is so humble. He never talks about the war, but he has more recently,” said Diodati.

Selfless sacrifice became the hallmark of this generation of men and women who risked their lives to defeat Nazi Germany and Japan’s imperial warlords.

Frederick “Pat” Walor certainly fits that stoic, sense-of-duty mold.

Keep your cool during first heat wave of season

A few days before its official start, the first wave of summer’s oppressive heat has arrived.

Our region will experience an intense heat wave over the next several days, with temperatures forecast to spike into the 90s — and feeling like a “dangerous” 100-plus in spots.

Tuesday ushered in the hot and humid weather. The heat should peak today and Thursday, with indices spiking to above 100 degrees and even to 106 in certain regions.

The heat will hang on into Friday, with the indices still in the upper 90s, before breaking over the weekend.

Across Massachusetts, residents can cool off at the Department of Conservation and Recreation’s 81 waterfronts and spray decks.

“We encourage people to cool off at DCR’s waterfronts, beaches and splash decks, or check out the cooling centers in your town,” Gov. Maura Healey said in a statement.

In Lowell, the Eliot Church, 273 Summer St., will be open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. for anyone wishing relief from the heat. Food will be served from 8 a.m. to noon, with dinner at 5:30 p.m.

And the Lowell Transitional Living Center, 193 Middlesex St., will be open during the day for clients.

Courtesy of Mass.gov, here’s some dos and don’ts during periods of extreme heat and humidity:

• Never leave children or pets alone in a closed vehicle. Even with the windows cracked open, interior temperatures can rise almost 20°F within 10 minutes.

• Slow down and avoid strenuous activity.

• Wear lightweight, loose-fitting, light-colored clothing to help maintain normal body temperature.

• Drink plenty of water — even if you are not thirsty. Avoid alcoholic beverages and liquids high in sugar or caffeine.

• Stay indoors as much as possible and limit exposure to the sun.

• If you must be outdoors, limit your outdoor activity to the morning and evening hours.

• Use sunscreen with a high SPF and wear a wide-brimmed hat.

• If you don’t have air conditioning, stay on your lowest floor. Use fans to stay cool and avoid using your stove and oven.

• Be a good neighbor. Check on family, friends, and neighbors, especially the elderly, those who live alone, those with medical conditions, those who may need additional assistance, and those who may not have air conditioning.

Fortunately, living in New England, we know that extreme heat is a short-term inconvenience. Be thankful you don’t live in parts of the country where these conditions occur almost daily.