1. By MCT NEWS SERVICE
LOS ANGELES — Middle-
aged men and women are hav-
ing a tougher time moving
around, according to a new
study that saw a boost in
mobility-related problems
among people 50 to 64 years
old.
The study, published in the
April issue of the journal
Health Affairs, looked at mobil-
ity-related disability trends
among those taking part in the
1997-2007 National Health
Interview Survey, a nationally
representative study. The par-
ticipants were asked if they
had difficulty with nine partic-
ular physical functions, if they
had a health problem requiring
the use of equipment such as a
cane or wheelchair, and what
health conditions might be
responsible for their limita-
tions. Overall, the number of
people ages 50 to 64 who need
help with personal care activi-
ties is less than 2 percent.
The number of people
reporting difficulty with physi-
cal functions didn’t change
much, but difficulty with cer-
tain functions saw an uptick
over the 11 years: stooping,
bending and kneeling; standing
for two hours; walking a quar-
ter mile; and climbing 10 steps
without resting. More than 40
percent of people surveyed
said that due to a health prob-
lem they had trouble with at
least one of nine physical func-
tions, without using any equip-
ment.
The researchers, from the
University of Michigan and the
RAND Corp., also saw an
increase in people needing
help with personal care
endeavors such as getting in
and out of bed or moving
around in their homes.
From 2005 to 2007, the most
common reasons for needing
help were arthritis; rheuma-
tism; back or neck problems;
diabetes; and depression, anxi-
ety or emotional problems.
TONIGHT
NUTRITION CLASS, 2 p.m.,
Concordia Haven III ground floor
game room. Topic is osteoporo-
sis. For information, call 724-352-
1571, Ext. 8518.
ALZHEIMER’S CAREGIVER
SUPPORT GROUP meeting, 3 to
4:30 p.m., Geriatrics Department
of Lifesteps’ Butler Center, 383
New Castle Road, Butler Town-
ship. Program: roundtable dis-
cussion. For information, call Lori
Williamson at 724-283-1010, Ext.
233.
FREE COMMUNITY MEAL, 5
to 6 p.m., St. Paul Roman
Catholic Church, 128 N. McKean
St., Butler.
BUTLER KIWANIS CLUB
meeting, 6 p.m. Butler YMCA,
120 W. Cunningham St. Program
by Daneen O’Donnell, marketing
coordinator for Armstrong.
BUTLER LIONS CLUB mem-
bership meeting, 6:30 p.m., But-
ler Blind Association, 322 N.
Cedar St.
SPRING TURKEY SHOOT, 7
p.m. following sign-ups beginning
at 6 p.m., North Washington Vol-
unteer Fire Department, 739
Fairview Road. Open sights only.
Kitchen will be open.
GFWC PENN TOWNSHIP
WOMAN’S CLUB executive
board meeting, 7 p.m., and gen-
eral meeting, 8 p.m., at the home
of Flo Jaksec.
AL-ANON MEETING, 7:30
p.m., Center United Presbyterian
Church, 211 Center St., Slippery
Rock.
WEDNESDAY
FREE HOT MEAL, 11:30 a.m.
to 12:30 p.m., Salvation Army
Open Door Feeding Program,
313 W. Cunningham St., Butler.
BUTLER SHRINE LUN-
CHEON CLUB meeting, noon,
American Legion Post 117, 417
S. Main St. Speaker: Becky
Smith.
FREE COMMUNITY MEAL, 5
to 6 p.m., Saint Andrews United
Presbyterian Church, 201 E. Jef-
ferson St., Butler. Use the Cliff
Street entrance. Hosted by Trini-
ty Presbyterian Church.
MORAINE, MCCONNELL’S
MILL AND JENNINGS COMMIS-
SION meeting, 6:30 p.m., region-
al park office at Moraine State
Park. For information, call 724-
368-8084.
BUTLER HIGH SCHOOL
CLASS OF 1970 reunion plan-
ning meeting, 6:30 p.m., Dingbats
restaurant, North Main Street. For
information, call Lisa at 724-282-
0623.
NAMI FAMILY SUPPORT
GROUP MEETING, 7 p.m., Men-
tal Health Association, 140 N.
Elm St. Speaker: Work incentive
coordinator Tracy Uhrin on work-
ing and receiving Social Security
benefits. For information, call
724-431-0069.
CARD PARTY, 7:30 p.m.,
Unionville Grange Hall, Benbrook
Road.
AL-ANON MEETING, 8 p.m.,
Holy Trinity Lutheran Church,
2217 Chicora Road, Chicora.
THURSDAY
FREE HOT MEAL, 11:30 a.m.
to 12:30 p.m., Salvation Army
Open Door Feeding Program,
313 W. Cunningham St., Butler.
PUBLIC LUNCHEON AND
CARD PARTY, noon, American
Legion, Route 356.
MERIDIAN AREA RETIRED
CITIZENS (MARC) meeting,
noon, St. Fidelis Roman Catholic
Church, Buttercup Road, Meridi-
an. Call 724-789-7191 for reser-
vations; bring table service. Pro-
gram: Blue Ridge Parkway by
Margaret Hoffman.
KATIE’S KITCHEN FREE
COMMUNITY MEAL, 5 to 6
p.m., St. Mark’s Evangelical
Lutheran Church, 201 W. Jeffer-
son St. Served in conjunction
with Trinity Lutheran Church.
BUTLER DUPLICATE BRIDGE
CLUB meeting, 7 p.m., B’nai
Abraham Synagogue, 519 N.
Main St., Butler.
TAKE OFF POUNDS SENSI-
BLY meeting, 7 p.m. following
weigh in at 6:30 p.m., St Peter
Roman Catholic Church, 127
Franklin St. For information, call
Sandie at 724 352-9111 or Karen
at 724 287-3926.
Notices of local club meetings,
card parties and dinners should
be received by the Focus Depart-
ment one week in advance of the
event. Entries should include the
name and phone number of the
person providing the information
and be sent to: Focus, Butler
Eagle, P.O. Box 271, Butler, PA
16003, or focus@butlereagle.com.
BULLETIN BBULLETIN BOOARDARD
Butler
Tanglewood
10 Austin Ave., Lyndora
Open 8:30 a.m. to 2:30
p.m.
Monday-Friday
April 21 — AARP tax aide
program, 9 to 11:30 a.m. and
12:30 to 2:30 p.m.
Bruin
United Methodist Church
Main Street
Open 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday
April 22 — Dispelling Hos-
pice Myths, 11 a.m., presen-
ter, Suzanne Lisotto, VITAS
Cranberry
Municipal Building
Rochester Road
Open 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Monday-Friday
April 21 — Thyroid Dis-
eases in Seniors, 12:30 p.m.,
endocrinologist Jodie Reider
April 22 — Seniors for Safe
Driving, 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
April 27 — AARP tax aid
program, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.,
Cranberry Twp. Public Library
Mount Chestnut
Mt. Chestnut Presbyterian
Open 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Monday and Thursday
April 22 — Healthy Steps in
Motion Exercise, 10:15 a.m.
Slippery Rock Township
Municipal Building
155 Branchton Road
Open 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Monday-Friday
April 26 — AARP tax aid
program, 9:30 a.m. to 12:45
p.m. Mondays.
X
MENUSMENUS
Senior centers at Butler,
Bruin, Chicora, Cranberry,
Evans City, Mars, Slippery
Rock, West Sunbury,
Zelienople, Mount Chestnut
and the Southeast Center
will serve these menus for
the next week beginning
tomorrow.
Menus are subject to
changes. Meals are served
at noon at all sites except
Butler (11:45 a.m.). Reserva-
tions are requested a day in
advance.
■■ WEDNESDAY — Grape
juice, tuna patty with dill
sauce, au gratin potatoes,
multi-grain bread, lemon pud-
ding
■■ THURSDAY — Pineapple
juice, meatball sub with moz-
zarella cheese/salt-free toma-
to sauce, broccoli salad, sug-
ar cookie
■■ FRIDAY — Fruit punch,
chicken salad with leaf let-
tuce/tomato wedge, wedding
soup, low-fat cottage cheese
with peaches, whole-wheat
bread
■■ MONDAY — Orange
juice, barbecue ribbette on
wheat bun, mashed potatoes,
lima beans, cherry crisp
■■ TUESDAY — Pepper
chicken, parsley-butter rice,
peas and carrots, whole-wheat
bread, fresh fruit.
FFOCUSOCUSTuesday, April 20, 2010 BUTLER EAGLE - PAGE 8
By KRISTEN NUSS
Eagle News Intern
Sixty-six years after the
4th Armored Division of the
U.S. Army helped the Allied
Forces liberate France,
Roscoe Mulvey was bestowed
a honor by the French gov-
ernment.
In a ceremony held March
10 at the French embassy in
Washington, D.C., Mulvey and
22 other veterans received
the Legion of Honor medal
with the rank of chevalier.
Mulvey says he first heard
the French government was
looking for veterans who par-
ticipated in the liberation of
France through a newspaper
article. He sent his story and
three years later received an
announcement in the mail
that he had been selected to
receive the Legion of Honor
award.
“I accepted the medal not
just for myself, but for every-
one that worked together
over there,” Mulvey said.
The French National Order
of the Legion of Honor was
created in 1802 by Napoleon
Bonaparte. It is the highest
decoration in France, and by
awarding it to American vet-
erans, France demonstrates
an appreciation for the men
who fought to liberate
France.
Previously, France had
only honored U.S. veterans
with the Legion of Honor
medal for service in France
during World War I, but in
2004 the country finally
began extending the honor to
veterans of World War II.
According to the French
Consulate General’s Web site,
eligible World War II veter-
ans must have served in one
of the four major campaigns
in France: Normandy,
Provence, Ardness or North-
ern France. For considera-
tion, veterans like Mulvey
must submit a detailed
resume of their involvement
to the consulate office near-
est their place of residence,
in this case Washington, D.C.
The consulate general’s
office sends the most distin-
guished applicants on to the
Legion of Honor Committee
in France for final considera-
tion. The committee looks for
decorations like the Bronze
Star or Purple Heart as well
as others to help make the
final decisions.
Mulvey’s array of commen-
dations, including both the
Bronze Star and the Purple
Heart, as well as his many
vivid stories are examples of
what the committee looks for
in a candidate.
Following the ceremony,
Mulvey visited the World War
II Memorial and attended a
program featuring speakers
Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg
and Elizabeth Dole.
Mulvey shared the experi-
ence with his family, who
traveled to Washington D.C.
with him.
His wife, Marjorie, his
granddaughter, Maria Pry,
her husband, George, and her
children, Jacob, Nicholas and
Hailey, traveled with him to
attend the ceremony.
Pry described the trip as
something her children will
always remember and is glad
they all had the opportunity
to learn from her grandfa-
ther.
“It’s so important for my
children and other people to
know what they went
through,” she said.
For herself, seeing her
grandfather at the memorial
was a memorable moment
because it honors all veter-
ans of the war, many of
whom were not much differ-
ent from Mulvey.
“It was very moving to see
with my grandfather — very
emotional and very touching
for us,” she said.
Mulvey was happy to share
the experience with his fami-
ly and to have the chance to
swap stories with other veter-
ans, including two other
recipients from Western
Pennsylvania.
“I got to talk with other
veterans. The whole experi-
ence was interesting, and I
was excited that my great-
grandchildren got to see it,”
Mulvey said.
Mulvey was drafted into
service in 1943, and his musi-
cal abilities landed him in
the middle of some of the
most famous battles of World
War II. He was first assigned
to the foot infantry in Texas,
but soon his talent for play-
ing the trombone earned him
a place in the Army band
with the 4th Armored Divi-
sion.
“At first I was embarrassed
about blowing the horn, but
I’m glad it got me out of the
foot infantry and marching
all over Europe,” Mulvey
reflected.
After leaving Texas, he
joined the 4th Armored Divi-
sion in England, where in
addition to training, he also
had the opportunity to meet
his maternal grandmother
and several other family
members for the first time.
Following his training,
Mulvey participated in sever-
al battles leading to the lib-
eration of France. His divi-
sion arrived on the beaches
of Normandy not long after
D-Day. They also participated
in the Battle of Saint Lo, the
Battle of Bastogne and the
Battle of the Bulge.
Images of the 2,000 to 3,000
bombers swarming the skies
at the battle of Saint Lo are
forever etched into his mem-
ory, as he vividly recalled
many of the events.
“I’m grateful to be alive,”
Mulvey said as he reflected
back over all he witnessed
during the war.
He calls the time spent in
battle throughout Europe,
especially the liberation of
France, an accomplishment.
“We knew who our enemy
was and we went in and
accomplished our goal,” he
said.
Before entering the war,
Mulvey worked at an A&P in
Zelienople and hadn’t fin-
ished high school. He used
the GI Bill to finish high
school and attend college
before finding a job as a
dental technician.
Back home in Harmony,
Mulvey resides with his wife
and frequently travels with
his fellow Cranberry VFW
members to area schools,
including Seneca Valley High
School, to speak on his expe-
riences.
Mulvey said he enjoys
telling others his story, espe-
cially students.
“Above all it’s about being
proud to be an American,
but also encouraging young
people to serve their coun-
try,” he said.
He and other veterans,
both in the VFW and the
Ohio Valley Veterans of the
Battle of the Bulge also had
the chance to visit and speak
at the Soldiers and Sailors
museum in Pittsburgh.
As many World War II vet-
erans die, Mulvey believes
through talking and sharing
their experiences — especial-
ly with younger generations
— others will know what
happened, and their stories
will be preserved.
Mulvey openly discusses
his experiences with anyone
who is interested, but
acknowledges that many are
less willing to talk about
their own. Therefore, he is
appreciative of any opportu-
nity he has to speak with and
meet other veterans.
“Every man has a story to
tell about their experiences,”
he said.
Ally
Honored
Roscoe Mulvey of
Harmony traveled
with his family,
including his wife,
Marjorie, to
Washington, D.C.,
March 10 to
receive the
Legion of Honor
Medal at the
French embassy.
SUBMITTED PHOTO
WWII vet receives medal from France
‘I‘I accepted the
medal not just for myself,
but for everyone that
worked together over
there.’
ROSCOE MULVEY,
WWII veteran
This Legion of Honor medal
from France was presented to
Roscoe Mulvey of Harmony on
March 10.
Mobility problems
increase in middle age
SENIORSENIOR
EVENTEVENTSS