Monson veterans monument unveiled on Memorial Day

MONSON — Veterans from the Civil War to the present with ties to Monson are permanently recognized with their names engraved on a brand new monument. 

The veterans memorial located next to the Monson Community Church and Churchyard Cemetery downtown was unveiled during the Monson Bicentennial Memorial Day celebration.

Dawn McPherson-Allen of the Monson Bicentennial Committee began the presentation by telling the audience on the closed Main Street that the project took a seven-member veterans memorial committee three-plus years to bring to fruition.

“This monument would also not exist without the help of other people of the town,” McPherson-Allen said. She said in-kind contributors include James H. French Construction, French Foundations, Maine Gravesite Maintenance, LLC, Monson Public Works/Steve Vainio, Northern Line Construction Inc., Piscataquis Monumental Co Inc. and Sheldon Slate/Steve Tako. 

McPherson-Allen said some may be disappointed Monson slate was not used in place of the granite. Tatko had said the material could not hold the number of engravings needed, but a gifted slate addition is planned for the monument.

Support also came from the town leaders, including the selectboard who worked to find a location and included a project line item in the last two municipal budgets.

Selectperson and veteran Eric Vainio said the municipal officers are honored to be part of the day. He thanked the veterans memorial committee for its “diligent work in planning, design and fundraising of this monument, and all those people who made monetary contributions too.”

When looking at the names and the various wars served, Vainio said, “It is truly a moment of reflection. Pause with the pride that so many from our town citizens have over so many generations supported and fought for our rights, liberties and freedoms that we enjoy today.

“Each of these military service members are distinguished in their roles in the service to our country. Some in support roles, some as leaders, some in combat, some prisoners of war, some missing in action and those that came home to live their lives with the effect of war and those who gave the ultimate sacrifice to die for our country. For those members that are still with us today, I want to say thank you for your service. And for those that are no longer with us, you will not be forgotten.”

“Remember each of these men and the sacrifices they made leaving the confines of home and family, living day to day in the Civil War with an unknown future,” said Estella “Tootie” Bennett, president of Daughters of Union Veterans Sarah Elizabeth Tent No. 3. “Worrying of his wife and children running the farm, disease to be dreaded as much as the enemy’s bullets. Not knowing if there was going to be an end to this war.”

Bennett said 244 names are on the Civil War side of the monument, which faces the fenced-in cemetary. She said these include men who enlisted in the Monson area, residents who enlisted elsewhere, and other veterans who came to town after the war and spent the remainder of their days in the community and are buried there.

“Each of the men and women on this memorial have a story to tell, the families have heartache at losing loved ones or the joy that a veteran returned,” she said. “Many of those who returned had scars other than bodily. Pause, remember and honor these veterans.”

Eric Boothroyd, president of Sons of Union Veterans Col. Douty Camp No. 11, said it is fitting that Monson’s new memorial was presented to the public on Memorial Day. “We are reminded of the names on honor rolls like this across the nation with names of those who served across our country,” he said. “It is important to remember that behind each name is a story of a life lived and sometimes lost.”

“May the names on this monument spark an interest in seeking out the many stories of these Monson residents, perhaps some a recent or distant relative of yours, that their memory will be preserved and that this memorial will have achieved its purpose,” Boothroyd said.

American Legion Towne-Holmbom Post 116 Commander Jim Greenleaf said when he was a child he would stop and stare at the names of the veterans honor roll in place then.

 “We felt proud because we knew most of the names that are on that honor roll and now they have redone the honor roll and made it 100 times better than the old honor roll,” he said. 

McPherson-Allen said the monument site includes a new flag pole given to the town by Glenn and Molly Poole. “There are no words other than a humble thank you for adding to this new memorial,” McPherson-Allen said.

Poole said his wife wrote the inscription which says the memorial was dedicated on May 30, 2022, by the town of Monson “in honor of and with the deepest gratitude to the men and women who took an oath and honored their pledge to the United States of America regardless of the cost he or she and their families may have to bear to preserve and protect our constitutional rights and freedoms.”

“When we started this project three years ago and started adding up what it would cost, it seemed like an impossible task,” Poole said. “We learned that we would need to get close to $35,000.” 

He then asked the audience to look at a list of more than 100 donors on the backs of their programs. 

“I can’t tell you how much that is appreciated, people really stepped up and donated to this memorial,” Poole said.

McPherson-Allen said engraved names include Monson’s veterans of the Civil War, Spanish-American War, World War I and World War II, Vietnam War, the Gulf War, Afghanistan and Iraq, and every other place they were sent where needed. 

“With each name engraved on this monument there is a story, and those stories are our history,” she said as the sheet covering the monument was removed. “To those who owe our freedom and our gratitude.”