As we are all aware of, Monday, May 26 was Memorial Day, which meant a day of celebrating and honoring the veterans who have fought and died serving in America’s Armed Forces. In Caribou, the various Memorial Day celebrations are as important as anywhere else in the state, and are conducted with enormous pride and esteem, as the city has become one of the most welcoming and celebratory places for veterans.
The Northern Maine Veterans Cemetery was the site for services held on Memorial Day, as people came from all over the state to join in the celebration of our nation’s heroes. At 1 p.m. the services began with the introduction from the master of ceremonies Clarence “Mac” McLaughlin. McLaughlin then introduced the posting of the colors by Sgt. Major Roger Felix and CPO Carl Smith. Felix and Smith led the Loring Job Corps Student Honor Guard, along with the Caribou Fire Dept., which also brought their colors to display at the ceremony.
The invocation of the ceremony was led by Father Jean Paul Labrie and the National Anthem was performed by Chloe Wheeler. Once the ceremony’s introductions were concluded, McLaughlin made his way back to the podium to introduce the day’s guest speakers. Phil Bosse representing Sen. Susan Collins, Sharon Campbell representing Sen. Angus King and Barbara Hayslett from Congressman Mike Michaud’s office all attended the ceremony on behalf of the aforementioned politicians, who were regrettably unable to attend the ceremony, but sent their heartfelt regards along with their representatives.
The keynote speaker for the Memorial Day Service was Dr. Susan (Dahlgren) Daigneault. Dr. Daigneault is the daughter of Medal of Honor recipient Edward C. “Eddie” Dahlgren and author of the book titled “In the Shadow of a Mountain: A Soldier’s Struggle with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.” Her father was a lifelong resident of Aroostook County and was the inspiration behind Dr. Daigneault’s story.
After the keynote speaker was finished, Wheeler once again made her way back to center-stage, where she performed an emotional rendition of “Amazing Grace”. After Wheeler was finished with her performance Harry Hafford and Dr. Daigneault joined together for the laying of the Memorial Wreath, followed by a 21 gun salute conducted by the Legion Riders from Madawaska American Legion Post 147.
Fred Ormezzani, a member of the Northern Maine Veterans Cemetery Commission performed “Taps” and Father Labrie reappeared to perform the ceremony’s benediction.
The ceremony’s closing remarks were made by McLaughlin, as he closed his duties as master of ceremonies with an inspirational speech, speaking to all those in attendance and thanking them for their continued support of our nation’s veterans.
