Groton woman who served as part of Operation Desert Storm among those marching in National Memorial Day Parade

29 May 2018


It was a reunion for her unit, the Army's 477th Medical Company, which provided care and medical transport to the sick and injured as part of Operation Desert Storm, several summers ago that reconnected Thena Cranfill with her "military identity."

Cranfill, 53, of Groton, had felt disengaged from her military service, in large part because she hadn't been able to find or connect with vets who shared her unique experience of serving in the "short but intense" conflict. The reunion helped to change that and encouraged her to become more involved in the veteran community.

So on Monday, she marched with about 100 or so Desert Storm vets from across the country in the National Memorial Day Parade in Washington, D.C. Afterward, she and others went to Arlington National Cemetery, where they laid wreaths on the graves of fellow Desert Storm vets.

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