Veterans Get Their Due At Hartford's Avery Heights

Courtesy of Avery Heights

HARTFORD, CT — A nonprofit senior living community Thursday honored both veterans living at its Hartford site and the U.S. Marine Corps, which celebrated its 247th birthday.

The Veterans Day-eve program brought state and local dignitaries to Avery Heights, a 43-acre senior living community located in Hartford.

The celebration honored the senior living community’s veteran residents, saluted the Marine Corps milestone and unveiled a new “Veterans Wall of Honor,” recognizing vets who live in the community.

Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin spoke to attendees about his service and his gratitude to all who have served and attendees celebrated the U.S. Marine Corps milestone and Avery Heights resident Marines.

The Veterans Wall of Honor is now a permanent display at Avery Heights, with the veteran honoree changing every other month.

Overall, 28 military veterans currently live at Avery Heights.

These veterans served during both war and peace time and were active-duty members of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps.

Avery Heights residents have served in both World War II and the Korean War.

November/December Veteran’s Wall of Honor honoree Alan Pasternack, 99, is a former Army captain trained during World War II for service as a dentist.

He was drafted into the Army in 1943 and the Army enrolled him in its program that paid for the education of dentists who would ultimately serve in the Dental Corps.

He attended classes year-round so he could finish his four-year dental school program in just three years.

Twenty-two months into his schooling at the end of the war, the Army closed out its program.
Pasternack completed dental school, graduating in 1946, and re-entered the Army to serve his time remaining in service.

He was honorably discharged from the Army and established a dental practice in Avon, where he cared for patients until his retirement in 1987 at age 64.

Pasternack and his family lived in West Hartford, Avon and Simsbury over the years.

Avery Heights is a nonprofit organization owned and operated by Church Homes Inc. For more information on Avery Heights, visit its website at averyheights.org.