RICHMOND, Va. — Andy Valero has a lot of time on his hands. The Norfolk man masters mosaics and, at his age, is accustomed to solitary endeavors.
The native of Spanish Harlem in New York was born five years before the Depression to parents who migrated from Puerto Rico.
Most of the 100-year-old’s peers have passed on.
“Everybody’s gone. They just faded away,” he said. “They don’t die; they fade away.”
Life can get lonely for the veteran who survived the Battle of the Bulge.
“I was afraid. Before I got into combat, I was afraid,” he said about surviving enemy gunfire during that historically cold winter at the age of 20. “Our overcoats were always wet from the knee down. Icicles sometimes."
But these days, the veteran’s tales are not falling on deaf ears.
Kayla Smith is Andy’s captive audience of one. The Louisa County native, with a passion for military history, hangs on every word.
“I never heard the words Battle of the Bulge until Andy said them,” Smith said.
When her WWII class at Randolph-Macon College was scrubbed from the syllabus in the fall of 2022, a crushed Kayla thought of a novel approach.
“When everything came about and the course being canceled for World War II, I realized this was my only opportunity. I was going to have to find a veteran and talk to them about a war that happened so long ago,” she said.
But locating an aging warrior was proving fruitless.
“With the World War II veterans, I knew the clock was ticking,” Smith said.
Through the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Kayla met Andy. Shortly after, the history buff appeared on Andy’s porch unannounced.
“I wondered when he came to the door if he was going to tell us to leave,” Smith said. “I said I want to hear about the war, can I come in, and he let me in. And the rest is history.”
The widower welcomed the archaeology and history major with open arms.
For two years, this student-teacher tutorial has been blossoming.
“I have had friends, but I have never had a friend at such an advanced age,” Smith said.
Watch: Andy and Kayla share their special bond
This unlikely pair embarks on field trips and attends military commemorations in other states.
“She goes through with this to come and visit me. That is a long trip,” Valero said. “It is like a dream come true.”
Valero even attended Kayla’s wedding.
“It’s just having somebody call to check in on me and then being able to call and ask him any questions about the war. It’s priceless,” he said.
Kayla Smith is documenting the veteran’s life through videos and photos. "Andy’s Project" is Kayla’s tribute to her mentor.
“I think that everything Andy says comes from his heart,” she said.
But their bond goes well beyond a history lesson.
“It is painful what she went through,” Valero said.
Lending an ear is also healing hidden wounds for both.
Andy was haunted by wartime memories.
“You do forget a lot, but I do remember so much about it,” Valero said. “I was suicidal at the beginning.”
When she was a college sophomore, Kayla lost her father to suicide, and her grandfather two weeks later.
“But I can tell Andy some of the worst moments of my life,” Smith said. “He would always follow up with something like ‘It’s going to smooth over’ or ‘You’ll get through it.’”
Separated by 80 years, Andy and Kayla are redefining the term "best friend."
“When I tell people that he saved the quality of my life, I mean every word of it,” Smith said.
“100%,” Valero said. “And it’s a love relationship. Yes, like a grandfather and granddaughter. Yes.”
In each other, they’re discovering something unexpected.
“And I wonder when I go. She’s gonna miss me, I guess. A lot! I’m gonna miss her a lot. Yes,” Valero said. “The bond is there forever. Lucky me. Yes!”
“I tell people regularly that there will never be another veteran that will be able to fill his shoes or have the impact on my life that he’s had,” Smith said.
Kayla Smith and Andy Valero.
The college graduate and veteran of WWII, each cementing precious pieces to their lives.
“Yes, all the time. The best thing I got out of my college education was a canceled course,” Kayla Smith said.
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