World War II veteran Dorothy Constance Stratton wasn't able to attend a March 24 birthday celebration the Coast Guard hosted in her honor at the Women in Military Service for America Memorial here. But Stratton had the perfect excuse. It was her 105th birthday, and the centenarian wasn't able to make the more than 650-mile trip from West Lafayette, Ind. Instead, Stratton sent a videotape full of memories of her years as the first director of the World War II Coast Guard Women's Reserve that was nicknamed, SPARs, an acronym representing the Coast Guard motto, "Semper Paratus – Always Ready."...