Dover-Foxcroft honors fallen heroes on Memorial Day
DOVER-FOXCROFT — Those who died in service of their country were honored during Dover-Foxcroft’s annual Memorial Day observance on Monday morning.
A procession began at the Piscataquis County Court House campus on East Main Street, traveling to the Piscataquis River bridge for the dropping of memorial flowers into the water below before then going to Monument Square for a ceremony.
While standing in front of the town’s Civil War monument, American Legion Post 29 Commander Adrienne Clarke told the crowd it was her distinct privilege and honor to welcome everyone looking on.
“We assemble to remember those who have sacrificed everything, giving the ultimate sacrifice on our behalf,” Clarke said.
MEMORIAL DAY PROCESSION — Veterans lead the annual Memorial Day parade in Dover-Foxcroft on Monday as the procession traveled down East Main Street to honor all who made the ultimate sacrifice in service of their country. The parade stopped for a ceremony at the Piscataquis River bridge before remarks at Monument Square.
Following a performance of “The Star-Spangled Banner” by the Foxcroft Academy Band, Dover-Foxcroft Town Manager Alsina Brenenstuhl echoed Clarke’s sentiments by saying it was a privilege to stand with everyone on Memorial Day, a day of remembrance, reflection and profound gratitude.
“We gather not only as a community but as Americans united in purpose to honor the brave men and women who gave their lives in service to our country,” Brenenstuhl said.
Brave Americans across generations have answered the call to defend the nation, she said, knowing the path they chose was one of duty, courage and sometimes great sacrifice.
“From quiet cemeteries to bustling town squares across the nation and right here in Dover-Foxcroft, we pause to remember that our freedoms have come at a great cost,” Brenenstuhl said. “From the fields of Gettysburg to the beaches of Normandy, from the jungles of Vietnam to the deserts of Iraq and Afghanistan and others at home and in far reaches, each name etched in stone, each flag placed on a grave tells the story of a life given to something greater than self.”
THE DAY’S SPEAKER — American Legion Post 29 Adjutant Bill Siemerling spoke during the annual Memorial Day observance in Dover-Foxcroft on Monday morning at Monument Square.
Attendees were urged to remember that Memorial Day is not just a date on the calendar but a sacred reminder that freedom is never free, the town manager said.
“It is paid for with the lives of heroes who believed in the ideals of this great country. They left behind families, dreams and futures so that we could live ours,” Brenenstuhl said.
“Today we remember, honor, we recommit ourselves to the values for which they sacrificed — duty, courage, freedom.”
Veterans looking on were also recognized by Brenenstuhl, “whose service is part of the same legacy of sacrifice and honor.”
“Let us carry on the legacy of our fallen heroes with pride, not just today but every day,” she said.
INTO THE WATER — Members of Scout Troop 61 and the Dover-Foxcroft Select Board drop flowers from the East Main Street bridge to the Piscataquis River during a pause in the Memorial Day parade.
American Legion Post 29 Adjutant Bill Siemerling, a veteran of Operation Desert Storm with the U.S. Marine Corps who also served in Afghanistan with the U.S. Navy Seabees during more than a quarter century in active and reserve service, also thanked everyone for attending the observance to remember those whose lives were cut short so everyone can be free.
Warfare and death are about numbers, he said. In total, 1,354,664 Americans have died or been killed during times of conflict, 19,406 Mainers have been killed or died defending the nation, and “20 is the number of brothers, sisters, moms, dads, uncles, friends who left their homes in Dover-Foxcroft never to return,” Siemerling said.
Among those people were Arthur Chadbourne, Gregory Sloat, John Brainard III, Willard Merrill and Barton Merrill Jr.
“These are the men who grew up on these streets, graduated from [Foxcroft Academy] and went off to war, never to return,” Siemerling said. “Some of you knew them, some of you are related to them, we should all remember them. Remember today and always that there are kitchen tables in this town that will forever have an empty seat, front doors that will never again be blackened again by a returning loved one.”
MARCHING BAND — The Foxcroft Academy Band provided music during the Memorial Day parade and for the ensuing program at Monument Square.
The Merrill family had three brothers go to war and only one returned. Willard and Barton Merrill Jr. joined the U.S. Army Air Corps together, fought side by side, survived the Bataan Death March in the spring of 1942 and died a day apart in a Japanese POW camp later that year. Barton Merrill Jr.’s remains were identified and he is buried in Manilla but Willard Merrill’s remains were only recently identified.
He will return home next month to be buried next to his brother Everett, Siemerling said, with the family hoping Barton Merrill Jr. can also be brought home to join his brothers.
“Death might be about numbers but it’s also about remembrance,” Siemerling said. “We owe it to Barton and Willard to honor them, to remember them. The families whose loved ones sacrificed everything need to know their loved ones did not die in vain. May God bless our fallen heroes and the United States of America.”
After a three gun-salute and performance of taps, Clarke gave some parting words.
“Let us enjoy the day with our family and friends, this is what our heroes would want us to do,” she said.