Respecting Old Glory
Teague Park students, Legion raise new flag
Students at Caribou’s Teague Park Elementary School recently got a lesson in how to respect our nation’s flag and keep it properly flying, thanks to members of Caribou’s American Legion Post 15.
“Post Commander Wayne Little oftentimes comes to our school, and noticed our worn-out flag,” said Teague Park Principal Steve Austin. “He offered to bring us a new American flag and present it to the school in a ceremony.”
Post members visited the school on May 1 and brought the new flag. Representing the Legion were Little, Adjutant Jack Parisi, Service Officer Dale McGlinn and Father Doug Michaud. Together with students, they held a special ceremony, displaying proper respect for Old Glory.
The tattered standard was retreated, or lowered, and then carefully folded, at which point the new flag was attached to its riggings and raised, with all present standing at respectful attention.
“The students who helped take down the flag were told that it could not touch the ground, and they did a good job of doing that,” Austin said.
The tattered flag will be properly disposed of in a disposal ceremony sometime in June, according to Little.
Durgin to speak at Memorial Day
program at transportation museum
BANGOR—- Retired Maj. Gen. Nelson E. Durgin will be the speaker during the Memorial Day Program at 1 p.m. Monday, May 25, at Cole Land Transportation Museum at 405 Perry Road.
Durgin, an Oxford native and longtime resident of Bangor, is a veteran of more than 30 years in the Maine Air National Guard and served as adjutant general and commissioner of the Department of Defense, Veteran Services and Emergency Management 1991-1995.
He is currently serving his second term as mayor and chairman of the Bangor City Council. Retired as executive director of Phillips-Strickland House, Durgin and wife Carla Durgin were recipients of the Distinguished Citizen Awards from Katahdin Area Council Boy Scouts of America in 2012.
The afternoon program at the museum will begin at noon with a patriotic concert by Old Town High School Band, with the band boosters on hand to sell lunch items to raise money for the band.
Many of those attending on Monday will begin their day by participating in or watching the Memorial Day Parade, which will begin at 10:30 a.m. at the junction of State and Exchange streets in Bangor.
Volunteers from Cole Land Transportation Museum will be available beginning 9 a.m. that day at the undercover entrance to The First Bank at 145 Exchange St. to apply the 2015 reflective sticker to walking sticks of World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War and Global War on Terror veterans and military personnel who bring them before marching or riding Cyr buses in the parade.
The half-mile parade will go up Main Street to Davenport Park at the corner of Main and Cedar streets.
Free parking during the parade will be available at Penobscot Plaza on Washington Street, in the city parking garage on Water Street and in the Career Center parking lot on Oak Street.
Walking sticks are available free to Maine veterans who served in one of the four war eras. Those eligible should bring proof of ID and their DD-214 or military ID 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily to Cole Land Transportation Museum at 405 Perry Road.
When the museum begins its Memorial Day program at noon Monday, Old Town High band boosters will sell hot dogs, hamburgers, soda and whoopie pies.
Veterans attending with their walking stick will receive a free hot dog or hamburger and soda. Children attending the program will receive a free keepsake American flag with base. Activities will conclude by 2 p.m., and those attending may visit the museum free after the program.
For information on Memorial Day activities at Cole Land Transportation Museum, call 990-3600, ext. 13. The museum is looking for new volunteers — both veterans and non-veterans — to serve as tour guides, visitor guides, cashiers and ambassadors of patriotism who are interviewed by students.
Giles leads trip to Iwo Jima, Peleliu
PRESQUE ISLE — Anderson Giles, retired University of Maine at Presque Isle professor, has made many trips to the Pacific focused on preserving the history of World War II. Recently, Giles had the honor of leading a select group on visits to two of WW II’s most deadly Pacific battlefields. The group participated in the special 70th commemoration ceremonies on Iwo Jima and then traveled on to explore battle sites on the island of Peleliu in Palau.
Once a year, the Japanese government allows U.S. and Japanese survivors, relatives of battle participants, members of the press, as well as government and military officials, to take part in ceremonies on Iwo Jima honoring the terrible sacrifices and loss of life which occurred during February and March of 1945. Access to the volcanic island is only allowed after signing an injury/death waiver, and is severely restricted due to dangerous conditions such as earthquakes, toxic volcanic gases, unexploded munitions, rugged terrain, and lack of medical and transportation infrastructure.
Giles’ group was part of what may be the last of its kind due to the rapidly declining number of actual battle survivors able to make the long trip. General Larry Snowden, who fought with the 4th Marine Division as a young 2nd Lieutenant and later worked in Japan for many years, has been a facilitator of the yearly ceremonies since 1995. He has decided that the 70th will be his last visit due to infirmities of age. In his remarks during the ceremony, overlooking the gloomy invasion beaches he landed on, he noted, “Time is the great healer and time has allowed physical wounds to heal, but healing has left deep scars for many of the survivors and left deep emotional scars on families of those who died here.”
Giles noted that he has been able to visit the island many times as lecturer on cruise ships and as tour leader for Valor Tours, Ltd. These journeys are always a personal pilgrimage to honor his father, a 4th Division Marine who survived the entire battle only to be killed in Korea in 1953.
“Each visit reveals new discoveries … caves still containing personal relics, rusting weapons, and poignant, seldom seen sites of vicious combat,” Giles said. “Each time I pick up jagged shards of shrapnel, spent shell casings, and climb the steep, infamous black sand berms on which many Marines died, I experience both a profound sadness and sense of wonder at how the Marines were able to accomplish their mission.”
Iwo Jima was the first battle of the Pacific war in which the U.S. sustained more casualties than the Japanese. Many historians believe the high death toll on Iwo Jima and later on Okinawa helped lead to the decision to drop the atomic bombs.
After the day on Iwo Jima, part of Giles’ group traveled on to the site of another infamous island battle on Peleliu. Giles said many historians have come to believe that the savage battle was unnecessary and controversial. The landing took place Sept. 15, 1944, and was intended to be a quick three- to four-day operation, but lapsed into a 72-day bloodbath, which saw the 1st Marine Division decimated, with some units sustaining 60 percent casualties. Unbeknownst to U.S. forces, Japanese forces had turned countless caves in the infamous Umabrogol coral ridges into deadly defensive positions, almost impossible to see or destroy.
Due to the island’s remote location, it remains one of the Pacific’s most intact battlefields, with caves full of relics, human remains, unexploded ordnance, wreckage of tanks and aircraft, as well as large artillery pieces.
One of Giles’ objectives was to climb and explore the notorious hill 100 (later named Walt’s Ridge) where a famous resident of Maine earned the Congressional Medal of Honor. Capt. Everett Pope led his company in an assault on the heavily defended ridge on Sept. 20, 1944. Sustaining heavy casualties, they managed to capture the incredibly steep heights. Fierce Japanese counterattacks practically destroyed his unit, which, having run out of ammunition, had resorted to throwing rocks. Eventually, despite heroic efforts to hold with only eight unwounded Marines, they were forced to climb back down the steep cliff under heavy fire.
Those of Giles’ group who could make the climb reached the summit, examined the historic battle site, and held a short remembrance for those who perished.
“The 100 degree heat is brutal and the dense jungle and super rugged terrain exhaust you — but it is an experience you will never forget!” he said. “It’s fascinating to think of Peleliu’s connection to Maine, so many miles and memories away.”
Thirty flags along Avenue of Flags honor
the memory of deceased U.S. veterans
By Joshua Archer
Staff Writer
Aroostook Republican Photo/Joshua Archer
Families wait to raise 30 flags for loved ones at the Northern Maine Veterans Cemetery’s Avenue of Flags during the May 11 dedication ceremony in Caribou.
CARIBOU — The Northern Maine Veterans’ Cemetery held its annual flag-raising ceremony at the Avenue of Flags on Monday, May 11.
Flag one, donated by U.S. Congressman Bruce Poliquin, was raised by U.S. Army active Staff Sgt. Austin Wing and U.S. active Sgt. Harold Whitting to honor the memory of all deceased U.S. veterans.
Flag two was raised to honor the memory of Milford Letourneau, a WW II U.S. Navy veteran who was awarded the WW II Victory Medal, the Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal with three bronze stars and the Philippine Liberation Ribbon with one bronze star.
Flag three was raised to honor the memory of Dennis Letourneau, a U.S. Vietnam veteran who was awarded the National Defense Service Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal and the Vietnam Campaign Ribbon.
Flag four was raised to honor the memory of U.S. Army and U.S. Coast Guard Vietnam veteran Donald Leach who was awarded the Vietnam Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Vietnam Campaign Ribbon and the U.S. Air Medal.
Flag five was raised to honor the memory of U.S. Air Force veteran Rosvil Eugene Brown who served in Germany, Korea and Vietnam and was awarded the WW II Victory Medal, the Bronze Service Medal, the U.N. Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Korean Service Medal and the AF Commendation Medal with 10 oak leaf clusters.
Flag six was raised to honor the memory of U.S. Army WW II veteran Everett J. Cowett who was awarded the WW II Victory Ribbon.
Flag seven was raised to honor the memory of U.S. Air Force veteran Jon Fowler.
Flag eight was raised to honor the memory of U.S. Army Vietnam veteran Roger J. Albert who was awarded a Purple Heart Medal with an oak leaf.
Flag nine was raised to honor the memory of U.S. Air Force veteran Armand Pelletier who served in Vietnam and Thailand, and was awarded a medal for Meritorious Service and the Air Force Commendation Medal.
Flag 10 was raised to honor the memory of U.S. Air Force veteran Dale C. Allen AIC who served in Vietnam, and was awarded the Vietnam Service Medal and the National Defense Service Medal.
Flag 11 was raised to honor the memory of U.S. Merchant Marine WW II veteran Mearl McGlauflin who served in the Atlantic Zone, the Mediterranean Middle East Zone and Pacific Zone, and was awarded Service Bars for each zone.
Flag 12 was raised to honor the memory of U.S. Army WW II veteran Frederick Elmer Hafford who served in Normandy, Northern France and Rhineland, and was awarded the European, African, Middle Eastern Theater Campaign Ribbon, a WW II Victory Medal and the American Theater Campaign Ribbon. The flag also honored the memory of U.S. Army WW I veteran Nizaar Hafford.
Flag 13 was raised to honor the memory of U.S. Army Korean War Purple Heart veteran Rodney Chambers, Korean War veteran Asher J. Chambers and U.S. Army WW II veteran Andrew Anderson.
Flag 14 was raised to honor the memory of U.S. Air Force Vietnam veteran Richard Callison.
Flag 15 was raised to honor the memory of U.S. Air Force veteran Robert F. Callery who served in Desert Storm and was awarded the U.S. Air Medal, the Air Force Achievement Medal, the Air Force Commendation Medal, the Air Humanitarian Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the South West Asia Service Medal and the Kuwait Liberation Medal.
Flag 16 was raised to honor the memory of U.S. Air Force veteran Paul Wakefield who served in Vietnam and England, and was awarded an Air Force Outstanding Unit Ribbon, the National Defense Service Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal, an AF Good Conduct Medal, an Air Force Longevity Service Ribbon and a Small Arms Expert Military Ribbon.
Flag 17 was raised to honor the memory of U.S. Air Force veteran Michael J. Poisson who was awarded the Air Force Commendation medal, the National Defense Service Medal and the Air Force Achievement Medal.
Flag 18 was raised to honor the memory of U.S. Army WW II veteran Lester Junkins.
Flag 19 was raised to honor the memory of U.S. Army WW I veteran Stephen Herson.
Flag 20 was raised to honor the memory of U.S. Air Force veteran Raymond W. Grass who was stationed in Germany and was awarded the National Defense Medal and the Air Force Good Conduct Medal.
Flag 21 was raised to honor the memory of U.S. Army and U.S. Army National Guard veteran Col. Lee A. Doody and U.S. Navy Vietnam veteran William J. Doody who was awarded the Vietnam Service Medal, the Campaign Medal, National Defense Medal and a Combat Action Ribbon.
Flag 22 was raised to honor the memory of Master Sgt. U.S. Air Force veteran Jay Unterkofler who served in Desert Storm and was awarded a National Defense Medal, a Meritorious Service Ribbon with two clusters, an Air Force Commendation Medal with two clusters, the Good Conduct Medal with three clusters and a Small Arms Expert Military Ribbon.
Flag 23 was raised to honor the memory of U.S. Army WW II veteran Orvice Frost who was awarded the U.S. Army Occupation Medal, the Asiatic Pacific Campaign Ribbon, the Philippine Liberation Ribbon and the WW II Victory Medal.
Flag 24 was raised to honor the memory of American Legion Post 15 of Caribou members Korean War veteran Lohman Bouthot, Korean War veteran Clarence Dubay, WW II veterans Lawrence Barthelme Jr., Joseph Martin, Richard Michaud and Keith Powell.
Flag 25 was raised to honor the memory of American Legion Post 15 of Caribou members Korean War veterans Irvin Hollis Sr. and Carlton McGlinn, Vietnam War veterans Keith Dyer, Allen Hitchcock, Tom Johnston, Joe Morey and Wayne Theriault.
Flag 26 was raised to honor the memory of American Legion Post 147 of Madawaska members U.S. Army Vietnam veterans Bartlo S. Ferrazza and Joseph Collins, U.S. Army Persian Gulf veteran John Couturier and U.S. Army Korean War veteran Adrian Cyr.
Flag 27 was raised to honor the memory of American Legion Post of Madawaska members U.S. Army Vietnam veteran Edgar Picard, U.S. Army Vietnam veteran Michael Picard and U.S. Army Korean War veteran Lionel Pouleau.
Flag 28, donated by Maine State Representative Carol McElwee, was raised to honor the memory of U.S. Marine 1st Lt. James Zimmerman who was killed in action in Afghanistan in 2010 at the age of 25.
Flag 29, donated by Maine State Representative Carol McElwee, was raised to honor the memory U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Aaron Henderson, a Special Forces veteran who was killed in action in Afghanistan in 2012 at the age of 33.
Flag 30, donated by U.S. Senator Angus King, was raised to honor the memory of U.S. Army veteran Donald Raymond who served as an Army Security Advisor in both the Philippines and Thailand. Don was also a member of the Maine Veterans Cemetery Committee.
