“These veterans literally saved the world,” Lindsay said of WWII vets like Lois.

On Friday, Widmark, 104, was presented with a special honor by the state of Nebraska for her service.

“It is an honor to be able to present this medal to you,” Lindsay said.

Lindsay, together with MDVA Director Roan Quade and Lincoln County Veterans Services Officer Kenton Stanek came to Widmark’s home in Ivanhoe to present Nebraska’s WWII Recognition Medal. Widmark grew up in Nebraska, and was living there when she enlisted in the WAVES.

Photo by Deb Gau Lois Widmark held up a photo of herself when she served in the Navy WAVES in WWII. Widmark was stationed in Washington, D.C., where she worked as a code-breaker.

In 2025, the Nebraska Department of Veteran Affairs launched an initiative to honor the state’s living WWII veterans, to go along with the 80th anniversary of the end of WWII. Lindsay said the director of the NDVA contacted him after seeing Widmark share her story of serving as a WWII code-breaker on WCCO news.

“He said ‘Brad, you have a veteran there in Ivanhoe,'” Lindsay said. The NDVA asked if the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs could send Widmark her medal. Lindsay said he’d do better than that. “I said, I’m going to take it to her.”

The NDVA said a total of 172 medals have been presented at nearly 80 ceremonies and events in Nebraska, and in other states where Nebraska WWII veterans now live.

Widmark said she joined the WAVES partly because she wanted to do more for the war effort.

“It was wartime, and I was working in defense plants,” Widmark said.

Photo by Deb Gau Minnesota Department of Veteran Affairs Commissioner Brad Lindsay presented Widmark with a Minnesota WWII Memorial Dedication Medal, in addition to the Nebraska WWII Recognition Medal.

“I had thought about it, and I thought I wasn’t doing enough,” she said.

Widmark and a friend decided to volunteer for military work. The Marines recruitment office wasn’t open, so they went to the Navy office instead, she said.

Widmark was stationed in Washington, D.C., where from 1944 to 1946 she served as a code-breaker. She said she wasn’t sure why she was chosen for that work, but she thought it might have been because she had worked with machines at the defense plants. The women working as code-breakers used machines called bombes to try and decrypt enemy information.

“We didn’t know what the information was,” she said. “It just came in on these big wheels.”

“I wish I had started sooner than when I did,” Widmark said of her service.

Photo by Deb Gau Lindsay read a short speech after presenting Widmark with the Nebraska WWII Recognition Medal.

On Friday, Lindsay presented Widmark with both the Nebraska WWII Recognition Medal, and a Minnesota WWII Memorial Dedication Medal. Lindsay said the Minnesota medals were presented to WWII veterans at the dedication of the state’s WWII memorial in 2007.

After presenting Widmark with the Nebraska WWII Recognition medal, Lindsay read a short speech.

“Nebraska’s World War II recognition program is meant to honor the Nebraskans who served in World War II and ensure their stories are told for future generations,” he said. “Without the actions of our World War II veterans and the Greatest Generation, the world we live in would be a much different place.”