Sophie and Walter Porambo have a story to tell.

The Summit Hill couple has seen nearly a century of change in the Panther Valley, Carbon County, the United States and even the world.They have lived through 17 presidents, the Great Depression and have seen gas prices rise from 10 cents a gallon in 1939.But the thing that distinguishes Walter and Sophie besides their years of wisdom is that they are both World War II veterans.Sophie, who is 92, served as a second lieutenant in the United States Army Nurse Corps. Her husband, who is 94, was an aidman in the 305th engineer battalion under Gen. George Patton.Life before warThe story of Sophie and Walter Porambo begins in the 1930s, when the pair was in high school.Sophie was born and raised in Summit Hill, while Walter was a native of Lansford.They met through mutual friends while spending time at Ludlow Park, a popular spot for high schoolers back then and even today. After a few nights, Walter asked to walk Sophie home.The two started a friendship at that time, but life changed as the pair graduated high school and they took different paths.Walter went to work in the No. 9 mine in Lansford to support his family following the death of his father, and Sophie went on to nursing school in Allentown.Sophie recalls that life was simpler back then, and many families survived on minimal incomes and off the land.Walter said an hourly rate at the No. 9 mine was 50 cents at the time. Sophie said a customer service person at Bright's department store in Lansford was paid only 18 cents an hour.Sophie heads to warFollowing graduation as a registered nurse from Allentown General Hospital in 1943, Sophie began looking at enlisting in the Army to use her nursing skills to help soldiers who were wounded in the war that began four years earlier."Girls were starting to go into the service," she said. "I wasn't ready to go, but I decided that I should because the war was going strong."In April 1945, the 24-year-old woman signed up for the Army and was sent to Fort Lee, Virginia, where she learned basic triage and medical treatments.She was then sent to Fort Pickett, Virginia, where she received her assignment. She was going to a dispensary in St. Lucia, where she would serve with doctors and the Army Corps treating the wounded.During her time in St. Lucia, Sophie cared for hundreds of soldiers who were injured in one of the many battles of World War II and recovering before being sent back to the United States."There were about 40 to 50 patients in each ward," she said, noting that she worked in three of them.She recalls meeting a soldier from Summit Hill who was there while he recovered.The nurses, in addition to their normal duties, also helped the native women. She would draw their blood, screen them for illness and give vaccines.Following the end of the war in 1945, Sophie remained in St. Lucia to help the wounded Americans before they were transported home. She was honorably discharged in August of 1946.Walter goes into combatWalter's World War II story begins a little differently.While working in the mines to support his seven siblings and mother, his older brother was drafted.To help his brother, Walter volunteered to go in his place.At the age of 23, Walter began his service as an aidman/medic in the Army.He was deployed overseas in 1945."We went over on the Queen Mary," Walter recalled. "It took us five days and then we landed in England."Over the next year, his battalion crossed from England into France and Germany, following the infantry to provide aid, build bridges and do other tasks required in war.Walter witnessed gruesome sights from the effects of a hellish war and spoke with freed concentration camp prisoners because he was able to speak Polish.But one of the highlights of his time in the Army was a trip to Paris, France.Walter was selected as the lucky winner of his battalion to enjoy a trip to the city, even though war was all around them.He said it was something he would never forget.Following the war, Walter was discharged from the Army and returned to Lansford, where he continued as a miner over the next few years.Life after warIt wasn't until after World War II ended that Sophie and Walter's paths crossed again.They both smile and chuckle at the way they reconnected.Sophie was attending a wedding in Lansford when Walter, who had not been invited, showed up after a friend called and told him that someone wanted to see him.He was shy and didn't approach her. A few days later, Sophie called.The two began talking and Walter would walk from Lansford to Summit Hill to help her family with their vegetable garden.On April 14, 1951, the pair exchanged marriage vows at St. Catharine of Siena Church in Allentown.They moved into a home on East White Street, Summit Hill, the same residence where they still live today, and began a family.Walter, who was good with his hands, remodeled the home for his wife and their two sons, Thomas and Robert.Sophie stayed home until the boys went to school and then resumed her career as a nurse, working at Coaldale State Hospital for years, as well as in Allentown.Walter began working in the aluminum factory in Nesquehoning and then at Bethlehem Fabricators until his retirement.As the boys grew and began families of their own, Walter and Sophie continued to enjoy small-town living in Summit Hill.Today, they can be found sitting on their porch, chatting with neighbors or telling stories about times long ago.Their home, which they made their own over the past 63 years, is filled with love and memories of bygone times, as well as the present.On their mantel are photos of themselves in their Army uniforms, surrounded by photos of their grandchildren Amy, Abbey, Lindsey and Allison. Amy and Abbey are the daughters of Thomas and Roberta of Fleetwood, while Lindsey and Allison are the daughters of Robert and Elyse of Maryland.