DeLauro Honors Local WWII Engineer George Posener

Helped Orange resident recover over $34,000 in pension benefits

New Haven, CT – Congresswoman Rosa L. DeLauro (CT-3) met with George Posener, a 99-year-old who served during World War II at his home in Orange, Connecticut today. Posener contacted Congresswoman DeLauro’s office for assistance in recovering pension benefits he had been owed for more than 30 years. Congresswoman DeLauro was able to help, and Posener received his full amount of pensions benefits owed, totaling over $34,000.

Posener was slated to be drafted into service during World War II, but was such a talented engineer that he was retained by the War Department as a civilian worker. He worked as an Ordnance Inspector, redesigning weapons, inspecting ballistic tests, and transporting arms, and even helped to convert the Thompson submachine gun, better known as the “Tommy gun,” into a better weapon through the use of a fixed firing pin.

Despite being recognized by his commanding officer in the Bridgeport Regional Office as overwhelmingly satisfactory, Posener was never given the pension he was due. He contacted Congresswoman DeLauro’s office for help recently, and after working with the Department of Veterans’ Affairs and the Office of Personal Management to resolve his case, Posener was granted retroactive pension benefits of $34,000, dating back to 1973, as well as a monthly pension going forward.

“As I learned from my father, an army veteran, war’s legacy extends far beyond the years during which the conflict took place – it is an experience that lasts a lifetime and touches countless generations. That is why we are so grateful to George for his service, and why I was so glad that my office could help him receive the pension benefits he was so richly due. I believe everyone who has served deserves our nation’s gratitude,” said Congresswoman DeLauro. “At a time when our nation faces serious challenges across the world, with thousands of our young men and women in uniform protecting us overseas, we look to the indomitable spirit of Americans like George for inspiration and for strength.”