Salute to Doughboys : San Juan Event to Honor 2 WWI Servicemen

By DEBRA CANO

Nov. 11, 1993 12 AM PT

SPECIAL TO THE TIMES

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO —

Mention World War I to Frank Denison, and he digs out old photographs of cannons pulled by mules, yellowed Stars & Stripes newspapers, postcards from France and a belt buckle from a German prisoner of war tucked inside a worn camouflage German ammunition box.

“That’s a long time ago. Seventy-five years ago,” Denison, 92, of San Clemente, said as he flipped through a worn book of black-and-white photographs taken when he served in France.

Denison lied about his age so he could join the U.S. Army on June 1, 1918, in Mason City, Iowa, serving his country in the war that ended on Nov. 11, 1918.

“I told them I was 19 because they wouldn’t take me,” said Denison, a Palestine, Tex., native who served as an automobile mechanic during his stint in the Army.

Veteran Paul Arbiso, 98, said the only memories he has of the war are bad ones. He lost two fingers on his right hand in combat.

“Sometimes I hate to talk about it,” said Arbiso, who has lived his whole life in San Juan Capistrano. Arbiso, of the local Juaneno Indian tribe, is known as the patriarch of the city.

“I’m lucky I only lost my fingers. I saw people get killed--it was awful,” he said.

The two veterans are among the dwindling number of World War I servicemen still living in the county.

In honor of Veterans Day, Denison and Arbiso will be recognized in a noon ceremony Saturday at Mission San Juan Capistrano, next to the barracks on the mission grounds.

Each will be awarded a commemorative medal, a replica of the World War I Victory Medal that was given to those who served in the war, said Bruce Lewy, commander of Veterans of Foreign Wars Serra Post 3801 of San Juan Capistrano, which is holding the special ceremony.

Lewy said the medal is from the Robert R. McCormick Tribune Foundation, a private nonprofit organization in Chicago. The medal is surrounded by a laurel wreath, signifying honor, and encircled by a band bearing the inscription “75th Anniversary of World War I.” The blue band indicates loyalty and devotion to duty. The medal has the inscription “They came on the wings of eagles,” taken from the World War I American Memorial Monument at Saint-Nazaire, France.

Lewy said plans are underway to locate other World War I veterans in Orange County and later present them with the medal as well.

Of the estimated 232,350 veterans in the county, 300 served in World War I, according to July, 1992, statistics from the state Department of Veterans Affairs.

“Everyone deserves this honor,” said Frank Denison Jr., 69, Denison’s son who also lives in San Clemente and is a member of Veterans of Foreign Wars George E. Smith Post 7142. “There’s not many of them left. . . . We’re so proud of both of them.”

The younger Denison called his father a hero for his dedication, service and sacrifice to his country. “He put in his time and he had pride--he loved to do something for his country,” he said.

The senior Denison also served as a captain in the Army during World War II and was in charge of building the Burma Road, an Allied supply route in the Southeast Asian country--now called Myanmar--during the war.

“They called me a general, but I was a general nuisance,” he said.

The senior Denison, lives on his own, still drives, does his own laundry and gardening, and loves to draw cartoons to give to others. He joked about serving some eight months in Bordeaux, France, during World War I. “They fed us well: one big spoon of Navy beans with a spoon of molasses over the beans, and that was breakfast,” he said.

He recalled riding on a freight car after he landed in France. “There were 40 men, half sitting, the others standing. For three days. That was first-class passage,” he said.

He said he joined the service because he wanted to be a soldier and to quit working on the railroad, where he labored 12-hour days, seven days a week. He said he worked hard, though his co-workers joked and called him a “slacker.”

“I joined because I didn’t want to be called a slacker anymore,” he said. “They were naturally kidding, but I didn’t know that.”

Arbiso, who worked at Mission San Juan Capistrano most of his life and is known as the man who rings the mission bells on Swallows Day, was drafted in April, 1918, at age 23.

“They took me. There was nothing I could do,” said Arbiso, who served as an infantryman.

“I had it pretty hard in France,” he recalled. “One good thing, I never got seasick coming back or going there.”

Arbiso said that when he boarded the battleship to go to war, he was amazed at all the soldiers lying on the floor of the ship. “I thought maybe they were drunk,” he said, laughing. “They were just seasick.”

His grandson, Mike Gastelum, 37, also of San Juan Capistrano, said his grandfather, who nowadays enjoys taking care of his flower garden, received a Purple Heart only about 10 years ago for his wound in combat.

“I just put it away,” Arbiso said, adding that he does not like to remember the war. “I was pretty lucky to come home.”

Veterans Day Doings

Here are some of the Veterans Day events and ceremonies today:

* Veterans of Foreign Wars

Post 6475 of Garden Grove

and Garden Grove Elks Club

Time: 10 a.m.

Place: Euclid Street (old Main Street) between Garden Grove Boulevard and Acacia Parkway

Program: Honoring ceremony

* Memory Garden Memorial

Park & Mortuary

Time: 8 a.m.