When Sandy met Sarah – again

Sarah Brody and Sandy Cotton at The Phyllis Siperstein Tamarisk Assisted Living Residence.

Some may consider this story a very small flash in the realm of time. Others may consider it destiny or bashert, as it is referred to in Yiddish. It is about a small moment of fate – an encounter that took six decades to occur. This is a true story that allows one to believe that the world we live in is, indeed, very small.

On June 6, 1944, Canadian, British and American soldiers landed on the beaches of Normandy. Under the code name Operation Overlord, more than 150,000 troops stormed the coast to take back Western Europe from Nazi control. Many casualties ensued. Because of the heroism of the soldiers, physicians and nurses, this battle marked the beginning of the end of World War II.  Two of these heroes, Sarah Brody and Sandy Cotton, now live at The Phyllis Siperstein Tamarisk Assisted Living Residence in Warwick. And as proof of what a small world it is, the former nurse and soldier first met during the Normandy invasion before reconnecting many years later at Tamarisk.

While at lunch one day, Brody said to Cotton’s wife Marion, “Your husband looks familiar. Was he in the army?” When Marion replied that he was in Patton’s Third Army, Brody said, “That’s it! I remember being his nurse.”

Sarah Brody grew up in Connecticut, went to nursing school and graduated in the 1930s. When President Roosevelt declared war in 1941 after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, he called on American citizens, especially nurses and doctors, to help. Brody jumped at the chance to help in the war effort. So she signed up and was shipped out that same night.

Brody was stationed at the 103rd evacuation hospital in Europe. She said those who were wounded “right from the field came to us.” One of those wounded was Sandy Cotton. She remembered he had a bullet wound in his arm, and she was his nurse.

Cotton, who grew up in Greenfield, Massachusetts, was stationed in Italy in the Third Infantry Division. While in a vehicle with other soldiers trying to escape from Nazi fire, Cotton extended his arm to help a friend running alongside and was shot in the arm. He spent 11 months recuperating in the hospital before being honorably discharged in 1943. After two years of service, Cotton earned two Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star for his heroic efforts.

The soldiers under Patton’s rule experienced a lot but found ways to get through the hard days. Brody said, “GIs were wonderful. They always had a sense of humor.” She was protective of them especially because most of them were young. “I loved them all,” she stated with fond memory. Even with the strenuous and emotional toll it took on her, Brody stayed in the army for 2 1/2 years.

On Veterans Day, Nov. 11, 2014, Tamarisk honored Sarah Brody and Sandy Cotton along with other men and women who heroically served in the military and fought for our freedom. A special “Wall of Heroes” was unveiled and dedicated to Tamarisk residents past and present. This wall will serve as a memorial to all who served and call Tamarisk home.

Jennifer Feldman is marketing assistant, Sally Carver is a resident and Dianne Giammarco is the marketing director at Phyllis Siperstein Tamarisk Assisted Living.