Glidden gets his medals

Houlton Pioneer Times Photo/Gloria Austin
HAPPY RECIPIENT — Cedric Glidden, left, is awarded his Victory Medal for serving in World War II by Almon “Tiny” Hemore, the Chapter 10 DAV Service Officer. In the background is Glidden’s wife, Violet.
By Gloria Austin
Staff Writer
HOULTON — “I put that up there upteen years ago,” Cedric Glidden said, as he took down the faded photograph of himself and his shipmates. “Three of us were from Houlton and one from Monticello.”
    “He keeps it up there and looks at it every once in awhile,” said Glidden’s wife, Vi.
    The photograph features Glidden sitting beside Cedric Lloyd, while Ronnie Brewer and Rick Brown stand behind.
    “Cedric and Ronnie are gone,” Glidden said. “But, two of us are left.”
    Until recently, Glidden was never acknowledged as serving in World War II by any veterans’ organization.
    “On Labor Day, we were riding around and in Hodgdon they were dedicating a monument,” said Glidden. “After the DAV got done the service, I was looking at the names. Cedric Lloyd was right there. We went into the Navy together.”
    Glidden joined the U.S. Navy in 1945 in Houlton and was honorably discharged in 1946.
    “I was in a year, a month and five days,” Glidden said.
    But, Glidden’s service was never recognized. Not until he met Almon “Tiny” Hemore.
    Glidden’s basic training was in Bainbridge, Md. After a week’s leave, he was ordered back to Bainbridge and his whole company was transferred to Shoemaker, Calif.
    “They put us on a light cruiser,” Glidden recalled. “We went just a little bit and pulled into a dock and there was a string of railroad cars.”
    Glidden’s company was in charge of unloading the cruiser and reloading the rail cars with the ammunition on their boat.
    “I don’t know what was all on there,” he said. “But, it took us two days. We would carry them up one at a time and stand them in. I had never seen anything like that.”
    From there, Glidden’s company traveled to Seattle on the U.S.S. Biloxi.
    “That is when they started deactivating ships,” recounted Glidden. “They were putting them in the graveyard. I worked on that until it got done.”
    From there, Glidden and his shipmates were sent across on a ferry to another little place near Seattle.
    “There was a great big aircraft carrier there,” he said. “There was as many people on that, as there were in the town of Houlton.”
    Glidden admits he wasn’t on the Biloxi or aircraft carrier too long.
    “I was maybe on the Biloxi for five months,” he said. “I was on a ship doing sea duty so I got an extra $10. I was there a year and I got out. They didn’t want us. I was one of the lucky ones who got to come home.”
    When Glidden arrived back in Houlton, he was asked to join the American Legion.
    “I declined, but they kept at me,” Glidden said. “Well, I finally joined. Walter Landry was commander of the American Legion at the time on Pleasant Street. We had beautiful suppers and everything. I was always out in the kitchen helping.”
    Glidden met Hemore and after asking several questions, Hemore, — the Chapter 10 DAV Service Officer — discovered Glidden was not in the health care system and he wasn’t receiving any aid.
    “I did his claim through the DAV and put him in for a lifetime membership since he is over 80 years of age,” Hemore said.
    The lifetime membership card allows Glidden treatment at any veterans’ hospital in the United States.
    Glidden also told Hemore he had never received his Victory Medal from WW II.
    “I told him I will take care of that,” Hemore added.
    In two weeks, Hemore visited Glidden.
    “When I walked through the door, Cedric said ‘Look what I got.’ He had his lifetime membership in hand the same day he was getting his WW II medal,” Hemore said.
    Though he had talked to numerous people, Glidden finally received his entitlement.
    “I believe being a veteran of WW II, it’s our duty as service officers and members of veteran organizations to come forth and present medals to WW II veterans,” Hemore said.
    Now, 66 years later, Glidden has been honored.
    Hemore wanted to let the community know Glidden was a WW II veteran, so he asked if Glidden would have his picture and writeup done for the Pioneer Times.
    “What are you going to do for a feller who has done so much for you?,” asked Glidden. “You can’t say no. So, here we are.”
    “It’s my pleasure to take and present this medal to Cedric Glidden for his time in WW II,” Hemore said.
    “It’s amazing how things work out,” Glidden said. “I think it’s real nice after all these years that I get something.”
    The WW II Victory Medal was awarded to all military personnel for service between 7 December 1941 and 31 December 1946.