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From Normandy to the WPC Parking Lots

    January 01, 2020 | Our Member's Stories by Ted Behr by George Aman

     Herb Armstrong may have attained the age of 101, but that is not the most unusual thing about him. What is more unusual is the varied life he has led.

     Shortly after high school Herb enlisted in 1940 in the Army as a private. By the time of D-Day in 1944 he was a 2nd Lieutenant in a mechanized cavalry unit that landed on the Normandy beachhead on D-Day plus 8. His unit served in combat throughout the European war in armored reconnaissance for General Patton’s Third Army, including fighting at the
    Battle of the Bulge. After the war, he remained in the Army, serving in such places as Puerto Rico, Germany and Thailand. His retirement rank in 1962 was Lieutenant Colonel, and he had a second career which was in business, until 1979.

     Then began Herb’s third career as a leader and “restorer of the breach” at Wayne Presbyterian Church, having joined the church in 1964. He served on Session twice. More unusual, he served for 15 years on the Board of Trustees, including a period as president. Upon his resignation from that Board, in 1994 it awarded him a special Resolution of Appreciation. As recited in that Resolution, Herb acted as the property manager for the Church, a task that included scheduling and supervising construction projects and maintenance operations. Often, rather than calling on outside contractors, he simply did a repair job himself.  Though Herb didn’t mention it, a former member recalled that he also led the parking crew for services at the Church.

     Herb had an equally active life in other fields during the decades when he and his wife, Dorothea, lived on Conestoga Road in Wayne. The 1970 Directory shows them with their two teen-aged sons, Herbert T. Armstrong and Thomas K. Armstrong. Herb also devoted decades to serving as an adult leader in the Boy Scouts of America, and finally for 30 years he has been a leader in the Sons of the American Revolution and the American Legion.

     And he is still going strong. Look for him with his decorations on patriotic holidays.

     

                                                                                                                By George Aman

                                                                                                                June 1, 2020