NY vet, 102, compares vaccine drive to WWII service: 'We need every American to do their part'
NEW PALTZ, N.Y. (WBEN/AP) — A 102-year-old Army veteran is comparing his World War II service to the campaign to vaccinate Americans against COVID-19 in a public service announcement released by officials in Ulster County.
"When our nation needed us and Uncle Sam came calling, we answered. We fought the Nazis and stormed the beaches of Normandy," veteran Bill Swetow says in the video released Saturday by County Executive Pat Ryan.
Swetow adds, "And over 75 years later, we are at another moment where we need every American to do their part."
Getting vaccinated is our ticket to staying safe and fully reopening our community. As a Veteran, and as County Executive, I want to thank Mr. Swetow for his service during WWII and his continued service in encouraging residents to get vaccinated. https://t.co/gFlJHrWlmG
— Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan (@UlsterExec) May 29, 2021
The Daily Freeman of Kingston reports that Swetow, who lives in New Paltz in the Hudson Valley, joined the Army after the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 and went on to serve as a cryptographer and a statistical control officer.
Swetow says in the minute-long PSA, "We are not asking you to fire a gun, dig a trench, or go to a foreign land. But we are asking you to join the fight, the fight against COVID-19. And we want you to get vaccinated."
The ad will air on local TV and radio stations as well as social media sites.
