If you stroll through the courtyard at Brookdale Fort Wayne, you may notice a gentleman peacefully tending to his garden. You may even catch him giving an approving nod as he surveys the beautiful vegetables he has grown. It’s hard to imagine that this friendly and jovial man served in the heat of battle during World War II.
Herman Guenin, a resident of Brookdale Fort Wayne, started out in a one-room schoolhouse and wound up graduating in the 1942 class of Hoagland High School in Hoagland, Indiana. He was drafted into the Army right out of high school in March 1943. After training at Camp Polk, Louisiana, he traveled to Seattle, Washington, and then Oahu, Hawaii, and then on to the Philippines to prepare for war. He fought against the Japanese in the Palau Islands. During his time during the war, his encounters with Filipinos still stick out to him.
“All Filipino children could speak English, and that surprised me,” said Herman.
After the war ended in 1945, he returned to the U.S. and was discharged from the Army in January 1946.
“I married my high school girlfriend, who had been waiting for me, on June 9th of 1946,” said Herman.
In 1970, he started Madison Cabinet Company custom cabinetry in Hoagland, Indiana, which is still family-owned and operated 53 years later. He’s been widowed twice and is now happily married to his wife, Jenny. These days, he resides at Brookdale Fort Wayne, where annual Veterans Day celebrations always take him back to his time in the service.
“It’s a special day for all veterans,” he said.
Although he is proud of the time he spent in the Army, he also loves showing off the tomatoes and zucchini he grows in his garden and shares with other residents. His favorite thing to do at Brookdale Fort Wayne is work in the community garden. It takes him back to the time he spent growing up on a farm. When you ask him how he’s doing, a smile usually lights up his face.
“At 98, I am still alive and well!”
