VETERANS’ DAY 2013
REMEMBER THOSE WHO SERVED
Maine’s 133rd Engineer Battalion conducts transfer of
authority with the 864th Engineer Battalion
AUGUSTA — Flags dipped as the battalion commander for the 864 Engineer Battalion, Lt. Col John Henderson, cased his battalion colors.
The 864 Engineer Battalion “Pacemakers” out of Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash. completed their nine-month tour in Afghanistan and finished their Relief in Place (RIP) with the 133 Engineer Battalion.
The RIP between the 864th and the 133rd marked the next phase of the CENTCOM Materiel Recovery Element (CMRE) mission in Regional Command East (RC-EAST), Afghanistan. When the 864th arrived in theater nine months prior, they began the CMRE mission from scratch. When they turned the mission over to the 133rd, the 864th had closed or retrograded more than eight bases and laid the groundwork for the follow-on missions.
During the two weeks after the 133rd Engineer Battalion arrived on the ground, the two engineer battalions conducted a thorough and detailed RIP, ensuring that no amount of information was missed. By Oct. 16, the date of the Transfer of Authority (TOA) ceremony, the 133rd had moved into the driver’s seat of the RIP.
The 133rd brought with it three units from their home state of Maine: Headquarters and Headquarters Company, Forward Support Company, and the 1035 Survey and Design Detachment. In addition, they brought three other National Guard line companies: the 150th Engineer Co., the 858th Engineer Co. and the 1151st Engineer Co.
These units all came together at Camp Shelby, Mississippi, where the battalion conducted its mobilization train-up. The battalion also gained the 1220th Engineer Co. which will remain with the 133rd for a few more months before it also completes its nine-month tour. The 133rd contains vertical, horizontal, and surveying assets, making it a valuable component for any theater command and an essential piece to the CMRE mission.
The 133rd Engineer Battalion has been in battle or mobilized numerous times from the War of 1812 to Operation Iraqi Freedom. Lt. Col. Dean Preston, the commanding officer, addressed the assembled group of senior leadership from brigade and division level in both units during the ceremony.
He spoke of how the 133rd Engineer Battalion would carry on the task begun by their predecessors and the faith that he had in his battalion. He pointed out the strength of the National Guard, in that people from all walks of life and professions were represented in the battalion’s ranks.
“I am proud of the soldiers in this battalion and I look forward to stacking up our accomplishments,” Preston said. “There will not be a ‘down tick’ from what the 864th has started. The 133rd will carry this mantle through the next finish line.”
SAD 4 Veterans’ Day tribute Nov. 8
GUILFORD — The students and staff of SAD 4 are inviting area veterans and the general public to attend their ninth annual Veterans Day tribute on Friday, Nov. 8 at 1:15 p.m. “We’ve certainly created a tradition,” noted Kevin Harrington, PCSS principal. “But it’s a tradition that seems to have more meaning every year and it’s anything but a habit.”
This year organizers are planning some of the traditional patriotic music, student presentations, and selected readings that will feature students and staff from grades three through twelve. The ambitious program will also feature the Marine Corps League and includes the Armed Forces Theme Song Salute which typically brings the entire audience to its feet as the school and community honors veterans and those who serve in each branch of the service.
The tribute will be held in the Piscataquis Community Secondary School gymnasium in order to accommodate the anticipated crowd. A local resident who has attended for several years commented, “This is one program you don’t want to miss. There is some obvious sadness over the sacrifices that have been and are being made by our military. But that sadness is balanced with a deep sense of pride and appreciation. Experiencing that with children of all ages, Veterans, friends and neighbors means moist eyes and going home with a deep sense of community unity.”
Veterans and friends, parents and the entire community is invited to celebrate are encouraged to attend. For more information contact Piscataquis Community Secondary School at 876-4625.
Three Rivers Kiwanis Veterans Day dinner
MILO — The Three Rivers Kiwanis of Milo/Brownville will be serving a Veterans Day dinner on Monday, Nov. 11, at the Milo town hall. The doors will open at 11 a.m. and at 11:45 there will be a POW/MIA ceremony put on by the Milo American Legion Post 41. The dinner will be served at noon.
All area veterans and their family members are eligible to join us for a roast turkey dinner prepared by Val Robertson and her helpers.
The Kiwanis Key Club and Builders’ Club will be on hand to help serve the meal.
The Elementary Veterans Singers led by Stephanie Gillis will be providing some musical entertainment. If you need home delivery of your meal, contact Eben DeWitt at 943-2486.
Dexter Veterans Honor Roll dedication and meal
DEXTER — At 1 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 11 Dexter’s two veterans organizations, the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars, will conduct a dedication ceremony for the Veterans Honor Roll located in the Lysander Cutler Veterans Room of the Abbott Museum of the Dexter Historical Society on Church Street. Veterans and the public are invited to attend the ceremony honoring Dexter veterans and to visit the rest of the museum.
UU Church Veterans Day lunch Nov. 11
SANGERVILLE — The Unitarian Universalist Church of Sangerville & Dover-Foxcroft will serve its annual Veterans Day lunch from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 11. All area veterans are invited to come and share time with family, friends and community members who wish to honor their service to our country.
The church will serve soup and sandwiches, desserts and beverages. Lunch is free to all veterans. Donations accepted from others. The church is located on the corner of Church Street and Main Street.
Dexter VFW Auxiliary Patriots’ Pen winners
DEXTER — The Ladies Auxiliary of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4298 in Dexter has announced the winners of the Patriots’ Pen Essay contest.
This is a VFW National Program that gives students an opportunity to write essays expressing their views on democracy. This year’s topic was “What Patriotism Means to me.” The VFW Auxiliary wishes to thank all who entered the contest.
First place goes to Autumn S. Irwin of Garland, second place to Aino A. Rudloff-Eastman of Exeter and third place to MacKenzie M. Gould of Dexter.
Autumn Irwin’s essay will be forwarded to VFW District 5. All district winners are entered in the state contest and that winner is chosen in January.
American Legion: Serving veterans since 1919
The American Legion was chartered by Congress in 1919 as a patriotic veterans’ organization. Focusing on service to veterans, service members and communities, the Legion evolved from a group of war-weary veterans of World War I into one of the most influential nonprofit groups in the United States.
Membership swiftly grew to over 1 million, and local posts sprang up across the country. Today, membership stands at over 2.4 million in 14,000 posts worldwide. The posts are organized into 55 departments: one each for the 50 states, along with the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, France, Mexico and the Philippines.
Hundreds of local American Legion programs and activities strengthen the nation one community at a time.
American Legion Baseball is one of the nation’s most successful amateur athletic programs, educating young people about the importance of sportsmanship, citizenship and fitness.
The Heroes to Hometowns program connects local Legionnaires with recovering wounded warriors and their families, providing a variety of support activities.
The Legion raises millions of dollars in donations at the local, state and national levels to help veterans and their families and to provide college scholarship opportunities.
If you are currently on active duty, serving the United States honorably, anywhere in the world, or have served honorably during any of the following eligible war eras, you are eligible to become a member of The American Legion.
Aug. 2, 1990 to today (Gulf War/War on Terrorism)
Dec. 20, 1989 to Jan. 31, 1990 (Panama)
Aug. 24, 1982 to July 31, 1984 (Lebanon/Grenada)
Feb. 28, 1961 to May 7, 1975 (Vietnam War)
June 25, 1950 to Jan. 31, 1955 (Korean War)
Dec. 7, 1941 to Dec. 31, 1946 (World War II)
Many Legion posts also have very active ladies’ auxiliaries. The mother, wife, daughter, sister, grand-daughter, great-grand-daughter or grandmother of members of the American Legion, and deceased veterans who served in the United States Armed Forces during the listed war eras, is eligible for membership.
For more information contact your American Legion post in Greenville, Monson, Guilford, Sangerville, Dexter, Dover-Foxcroft, Milo or Brownville Junction.
Observer photo/Mike Lange
DEXTER MEMORIAL — A 75 mm World War II Howitzer is displayed on Grove Street in Dexter as a tribute to area veterans. The vintage artillery piece came in different models, including one that could be broken down in several pieces and transported by pack animals over mountainous terrain.
DAR will salute veterans in Monson
MONSON — The Tisbury Manor Chapter of the Daughters of American Revolution (DAR) will honor our country’s veterans with a Veterans Day memorial ceremony on Saturday, Nov. 9 at the Monson town hall starting at noon.
The Towne-Holmbom American Legion Post of Monson will also participate in the program and the guest speaker will be Sgt. 1st Class Earl David Watts.
All are welcome and encouraged to show support for all branches of the Armed Forces.
There will be a wreath-laying ceremony and refreshments will be served.
Drop in to thank a veteran for their courageous service.
Three Veterans Day weekend events in Greenville
GREENVILLE — The students and staff at Greenville Consolidated School have been hard at work preparing a tribute called “Veterans: You Bless America” for the heroes who have served and are serving in the United States military.
The celebration will be held on Friday, Nov. 8 at 10 a.m. in the Oakes Auditorium at the school and is expected to run for about an hour, according to social studies teacher Eric Sherman.
The program includes patriotic musical selections by students from all grades, poetry readings and presentations of student work.
The public is invited and encouraged to attend and honor our veterans.
Veterans and current military members are asked to wear their uniforms or other clothing that will distinguish them as military personnel past or present.
Guests may enter at the side door between the two buildings beginning at 9:30 a.m. However, if anyone requires the use of the elevator, please use the rear entrance where the superintendent’s office is located; students will be there to assist you.
On Saturday, Nov. 9, the Cecil R. Cole American Legion Post will host a public dinner to honor all veterans starting at 5 p.m., according to Past Commander Pete Johnson.
The final event of the weekend will be the American Legion’s Veterans Day ceremony on Monday, Nov. 11 at 11 a.m. at the memorial near the Union Church in downtown Greenville.
For more information, call The Greenville Schools at 695-2666.
Veterans of Foreign Wars instrumental in establishing VA system
The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) traces its roots back to 1899 when veterans of the Spanish-American War (1898) and the Philippine Insurrection (1899-1902) founded local organizations to secure rights and benefits for their service.
Many arrived home wounded or sick. There was no medical care or veterans’ pension for them, and they were left to care for themselves.
In their misery, some of these veterans banded together and formed organizations with what would become known as the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States. After chapters were formed in Ohio, Colorado and Pennsylvania, the movement quickly gained momentum. By 1915, membership grew to 5,000; by 1936, membership was almost 200,000.
Since then, the VFW’s voice had been instrumental in establishing the Veterans Administration, creating a GI bill for the 20th century, the development of the national cemetery system and the fight for compensation for Vietnam vets exposed to Agent Orange and for veterans diagnosed with Gulf War Syndrome.
In 2008, VFW won a long-fought victory with the passing of a GI Bill for the 21st Century, giving expanded educational benefits to America’s active-duty service members, and members of the Guard and Reserves, fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The VFW also has fought for improving VA medical centers services for women veterans.
Besides helping fund the creation of the Vietnam, Korean War, World War II and Women in Military Service memorials, the VFW in 2005 became the first veterans’ organization to contribute to building the new Disabled Veterans for Life Memorial, which opened in November 2010.
Any service member who has received a campaign medal for overseas service; served 30 consecutive or 60 non-consecutive days in Korea; or ever received hostile fire or imminent danger pay, is eligible to join the VFW.
The closest VFW in the Penquis Region is the Shirley B. Carter post in Dexter.
For more information, visit http://mainevfw.org.
The POW-MIA table
Though no one is able to trace the history of the white POW/MIA table back to its very beginning, it is believed to have originated by the River Rats during the Vietnam War.
The highly-decorated U.S. Navy River Rats were the first units to intercept Communist forces trying to transport weapons and supplies into the Republic of Vietnam via the Ho Chi Minh Trail. Navigating dangerous and shallow waters of Vietnam, the River Rats were constantly threatened by hostile fire.
Becky McGlauflin photo
POW-MIA TABLE — The POW-MIA table is a fixture at many veterans’ posts throughout the nation. The ceremony setting up the table is very solemn and is often conducted on Memorial Day and Veterans Day. Pictured is the table from the 2011 POW/MIA ceremony at Penquis Valley High School in Milo conducted by Joseph P. Chaisson American Legion Post 41. The ceremony will be held on Nov. 11 this year at the Milo town hall at11:45 a.m. prior to the Three Rivers Kiwanis Club dinner.
Once the war was over, it is believed the tradition continued stateside as a commemorative to the fallen comrades as well as the men who were still missing in action. It wasn’t long before the tradition became a part of each military branch. Over the years, the “table” has evolved and there are some slight differentiations that exist between the tables set by each branch of the military.
The general principle and most of the setting, however, is similar.
1. The tablecloth chosen for the table is always white. White symbolizes the pure intention with which the comrades honored have served.
2. The table is small with a setting for just one person, reflecting the vulnerability of one prisoner against his enemy.
3. A single rose in a vase sits on the table symbolizing the blood that has been shed. The rose also represents the families and loved ones that have been left behind and the faith they uphold that their loved one will one day return.
4. A slice of lemon is placed on a bread plate as a reminder of their bitter fate. And the salt on this plate symbolizes the tears that have been shed by their families as they quietly wait.
5. A glass on the table is inverted which denotes their inability to be with us and toast with us this night.
6. A candle on the table represents the light in our hearts that accompanies the hope that they will one day find their way home.
7. A chair is placed at the table and remains empty, for they are not here with us.
(Source: www.armedforcesmuseum.com)
Veterans observances in SAD 41
MILO — Two events to honor those who served will be held in SAD 41 schools on Friday, Nov. 8.
The Milo Elementary School Veterans Day assembly will start at 9 a.m. in the school drive.
A veterans’ ceremony starts at 1 p.m. in the Penquis Valley School gym, with the ceremony topic being Vietnam.
All veterans and community members are welcome.
Refreshments will be served after the event.