Memorial Day A Salute to Those of Served
A Special Publication of the Addison Independent May 23, 2019
PAGE 2 — MEMORIAL DAY • Addison Independent, Thursday, May 23, 2019
THE MIDDLEBURY UNION High School band marches and plays at the head of the 2016 Memorial Day parade on its way down South Main Street. But Memorial Day is more than a parade with bands and floats; it is a reminder of the people who gave their lives protecting the freedom that we all enjoy.
Independent file photo/Trent Campbell
Addison County has a deep history honoring veterans Parades and ceremonies mark Memorial Day
We are proud to provide our services to those who have served us all.
(802) 388-7259 PO Box 754, Route 7 North, Middlebury, VT www.achhh.org
By ANDY KIRKALDY ADDISON COUNTY — Towns all over Addison County — and Brandon — this coming weekend will honor the memories of those who gave their lives in service of their country with not only parades, but also post-parade ceremonies. Those Memorial Day ceremonies will include traditional readings such as “In Flanders Fields” and President Abraham Lincoln’s stirring Gettysburg Address; music provided by school groups, bagpipe bands and fife-and-drum corps; prayers; and guest speakers who offer historical context and meaning for the day of memory. Middlebury ceremony organizer Ken Perine explained why those who come to the parade should not just pull up stakes and head back home when the last fire truck, Boy Scout Troop and classic car has gone past. “Why should people go to the ceremony? Because Memorial Day is more than a parade,” Perine said. “It is remembering those who served our country with their lives, a constant reminder that the freedom we enjoy has come at a cost and that we must be vigilant to protect our freedom in the future, a small way to honor and remember.”
RON LAROSE Middlebury’s ceremony on the steps of the Town Hall Theater offers a template. It will include the Seth Warner Fife & Drum Corps playing the United States’ first national anthem, “Chester”; the (See Memorial Day, Page 3)
MEMORIAL DAY • Addison Independent, Thursday, May 23, 2019 — PAGE 3
YOUNG PEOPLE, SUCH as this flutist in the Vergennes Union High School marching band in the 2016 parade, get a hand in the commemoration of our fallen servicemen and servicewomen.
Independent file photo/Trent Campbell
Memorial Day (Continued from Page 2) organizes Vermont’s largest Memorial Middlebury Union High School band Day parade every year. This year’s theme playing the national anthem; the St. is “Now and Forever, We Remember,” Andrew’s Pipe Band offering “Amazing and Bristol Legion Post 19 Commander Grace”; Middlebury Police Chief Thomas Ron LaRose will serve as Grand Marshal. Hanley speaking on the meaning of the LaRose served his nation in the U.S. day; a Mary Hogan School student reading Army and Vermont Army National Guard “In Flanders Fields”; and for 39 years and retired American Legion Post 27’s with the rank of Lieutenant Honor Guard presenting “Memorial Day Colonel. a wreath and saluting is more than As always, the parade deceased veterans. starts at Vergennes Union a parade. It is That ceremony follows a High School at 11 a.m. remembering parade that gets under way and winds its way along at 9 a.m. at Middlebury those who served Monkton Road and Main, College’s Mahaney Arts our country with South Maple, Victory Center and follows the their lives, a and Green streets until it traditional route north on constant reminder reaches and the city green, Main Street and around that the freedom where the post-parade the village green to the ceremony will be held. soldiers’ monument at the we enjoy has The parade will include top of Merchants Row in come at a cost.” an even larger mix than — Ken Perine Middlebury’s of floats, front of Town Hall Theater. Veterans, bands, floats, farm equipment, classic politicians, Shriners, cars, fire trucks, bands, antique cars and more will follow that Shriners, politicians and more; and Post route, and many of them will head a 14 will also stage its annual chicken dozen miles north at the conclusion of the barbecue on the green following the Middlebury parade to Vergennes. parade and ceremony. CITY PARADE At the ceremony, Fort Ticonderoga There, American Legion Post 14 Curator Matthew Keagle will serve as the
A special Thank You to those who have served and those who continue to serve.
Brandon Reporter file photo/Lee J. Kahrs
keynote Speaker. Keagle is a Vergennes resident who has spoken on the subject of 18th-century military history across the U.S., Canada and Europe, and holds a number of degrees. Keagle’s talk will focus on the conditions, sacrifices and struggles of the 18th-century military in this area, and how events in that era shaped today’s lives and freedoms.
ORWELL EVENTS Before those Monday events, Orwell will honor the memory of those who served with its traditional Sunday afternoon parade. The town’s 46th annual Memorial Day Parade will line up at 12:30 p.m. on North Orwell Road and step off at 1:30 p.m. Former Orwell Bank President (See Orwell, Page 4)
Dr. Robert Austin, Optometrist
REMEMBER & HONOR
Addison County Commission sAles, inC.
HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY
Thomas G. WisnoWski & sons RT. 125, EasT middlEbuRy, VT 05740
EMERGENCY & ROUTINE EYE EXAMS • FASHIONABLE EYEWEAR • CONTACT LENSES Open Monday 8-4, Tuesday-Friday 8-5 • Call for an appointment today!
www.accscattle.com • 1-800-339-2697 • ACCS: 802-388-2661 ACCS EP Q 052319.indd 1
A GROUP OF first-grade girls in white dresses clutch bunching lilacs in their small hands walk in single process around the Brandon Civil War monument during the 2018 Memorial Day activities in Brandon.
5/17/19 3:35 PM
27 Main Street, Vergennes (802) 877-2422
PAGE 4 — MEMORIAL DAY • Addison Independent, Thursday, May 23, 2019
Orwell (Continued from Page 3) and State Representative Mark Young will serve as the parade’s Grand Marshal. The Catamount Pipe Band has confirmed its 20th consecutive appearance, and the 45-minute parade also typically features American Legion color guards, local Shriners, the Fair Haven Union High School band, plenty of old and new classic cars, and veterans from many service branches. The parade route runs east on Main Street from North Orwell Road before turning onto Church Street, circling Roberts Avenue, and bending back west
onto Main Street. The parade concludes with a ceremony on the town green. BRANDON ON MONDAY The Brandon Memorial Day parade will again this change its traditional route because of downtown construction on Route 7. Organizer Jeanne Lamarre, Brandon American Legion Post 55’s treasurer, said this year the parade will gather at 9:30 a.m. at the three-way intersection of Park, High and Marble streets and at 10 a.m. head directly to the downtown monument. New Post 55 Commander Bert Reynolds, also the Post historian, will
Our Firm Remembers Those Who Gave the Ultimate Sacrifice. Land Surveying, Topographic Surveying, Land Planning, Septic Design and State & Local Permitting “We will assist you through the permitting process.” 25 West St. • PO Box 388 • Bristol, VT 05443 Telephone: 802-453-3818 • Fax: 802-329-2138 • www.larosesurveys.com
serve as the parade’s Grand Marshal and also open and close the ceremony that follows the brief parade with prayers. The Legion Post Color Guard and other veterans will march, and joining them will be the Otter Valley Union High and Neshobe Elementary school bands, who will both also play at the ceremony after the parade. Neshobe second-graders will lay flowers on the monument during the ceremony, and Neshobe students will read traditional selections. Lamarre said she hopes that many Brandon-area residents will take a little time to honor the memories of those who gave their lives for their country by attending a parade and ceremony that she expects will take only around a half-hour. BRISTOL WRAPS IT UP Finally, on Monday afternoon LaRose will return to Bristol to help lead a parade and ceremony in the county’s secondlargest village. “Bristol’s Memorial Day event was designed not to interfere with the Vergennes parade,” said LaRose, who added Vergennes organizers have made provisions to help him leave the city in time to meet his obligations in Bristol. LaRose described Bristol’s affair as “a small parade,” including the Post 19 Color Guard, Mount Abraham Union High School band, Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts, Girl Scouts, Little Leaguers, fire trucks,
FORT TICONDEROGA CURATOR Matthew Keagle will give the Memorial Day keynote address in Vergennes.
and Bristol police leading the procession. The parade will begin on Airport Drive at the entrance to Mount Abraham, at 1 p.m., and then head east on West Street to the town’s central park. LaRose will emcee a ceremony from the village bandstand. A wreath will be paced on park’s Veterans Memorial and LaRose was last week arranging to have Vermont National Guard officer to speak at the event, but he said details were not yet available as of the Independent’s deadline.
Bristol American Legion, Inc. Post 19
We salute all military personnel for the sacrifices they have made for our freedom. Brick forms for the Memorial are still available. 56 Airport Drive, Bristol, VT 05443
•
(802)453-2951
The Bristol American Legion Post 19 meets at 7pm the 4th Wednesday of every month.
MEMORIAL DAY • Addison Independent, Thursday, May 23, 2019 — PAGE 5
Veterans get a hand up at ranch in Whiting By RUSSELL JONES WHITING — Although his dream got off to a slow start, Bruce Fowler says his project, which has lofty goals, is finally getting some traction. “It’s taken some time, had some rough patches, but we’re getting going now,” the stout ex-military man said. “I’ve been helping people and feeding people for years, but I wanted to create a place that served veterans.” Fowler’s thick mustache twitches with a smile as he claims to be 29 years old, although he was born in 1950. He retired from the Mountain Battalion of the Army in 2010 as a staff sergeant. After he retired due to health problems, he was taken advantage of by someone close to him and lost his home, his money and a store that he owned where he sold goods he grew on his farm. “I lost tens of thousands of dollars,” he said. “I went to cash a $20 check at the bank and the bank manager ended up giving me $20 out of his pocket because all my (See Whiting, Page 6)
BRUCE FOWLER, LEFT, who owns the Fowler’s R&R Ranch, was joined by Doug Davis, John George and Melissa Pierce from Comcast early this month to help get a few projects on the farm done. Some of the Comcast volunteers were veterans and some were military parents.
Independent photo/Russell Jones
MEMORIAL DAY SPECIALS!
Honoring All Who Have Served Thank You For Securing Our Freedom
Look for Sales – Flyer Specials & More at Agway!
Great Deals on Lawn & Garden Tools, Weed Controls, Lawn Fertilizers, Mulches and More!
Special Memorial Day Sale (now thru 5/27)
20%
OFF
Sale thru May 27, 2019 INDOOR & OUTDOOR CLAY POTTERY, BIRDBATHS & PLASTIC PLANTERS
Propane fill only $15.99!
Limit 2 per customer
Get
Best Prices, Best Selection –FREE Propane Anywhere! fill up w/gas grill purchase Gas & Charcoal Grills in a variety of colors in stock.
Middlebury Agway Coupon The more you buy, the more you SAVE!
NURSERY CUSTOMER BUCKS
o $5 off | o $15 off | o $25 off
use is Our Greenho at G N TI S R BU ! S M A the SE
any $50 Nursery Purchase any $100 Nursery Purchase any $150 Nursery Purchase Combined nursery purchases include Trees, Shrubs, Annuals, Herbs, Perennials, Bird Baths & Statuary. In-stock items only only – while supplies last. Expires June 30., 2019. Not valid w/any other offer or on items already on clearance.
10
Middlebury Agway Coupon
SAVE
$
Men’s • Women’s & Kids’
on any purchase of $50 or more.
In-stock items only – while supplies last • Expires June 30, 2019. Not valid w/any other offer or on items already on clearance.
16 Creek Road, Midd. • 388-6054 • M - F 7:30 - 5:30, Sat. 8 - 3 www.countrysidecarpetandpaint.com
Memorial Day 8-4 Open
MIDDLEBURY AGWAY FARM & GARDEN
338 Exchange St., Middlebury, VT • 388-4937 Monday - Friday 8-6, Sat. 8-5, Sun. 9-4
Open 7 days a week
YOUR YARD, GARDEN and PET PLACE™ www.MiddleburyAgway.com
PAGE 6 — MEMORIAL DAY • Addison Independent, Thursday, May 23, 2019
Whiting (Continued from Page 5) accounts had been cleaned out and I needed money for gas.” Fowler, broke and homeless but not one for failure or self-pity, did not sit around lamenting his losses. Instead, he decided to provide a support system for other veterans who might find themselves in a similar position. No stranger to helping people, Fowler had fostered over 20 children in a 20-year period. After several successes, he began to foster the most violent of the children because he found that he could handle them when others couldn’t. After Fowler left the service, he wanted to help fellow veterans. So, he bought a farm off Route 30 in Whiting in October 2015 and renamed it Fowler’s R&R Ranch. The idea was to provide veterans who were homeless or had other issues they were working through with a place to stay while they learned new skills and transitioned back into civilian life. Fowler’s dream has been to have a working ranch that is self-sustaining, where two to three veterans stay until they find homes of their own, while 10 to 15 other veterans come and work on projects they enjoy each day. “I’ve always enjoyed helping people, especially cooking for people,” the grizzled Army cook says as he slowly walks through his home with a foot that was broken a week earlier. “If you haven’t eaten and I feed you,
BRUCE FOWLER SHOWS off two of the saws that were recently donated along with other woodworking equipment he will use to help train veterans and give them experiences they can use after leaving the military.
Independent photo/Russell Jones
that’s something. That means a lot to people when they don’t have anything.” The plan was to have younger veterans come to the farm and learn new trades
or learn how to take military trades and use them to succeed in civilian life. But Marilyn Davis, who does the paperwork for Fowler’s R&R Ranch, said that is not how
things have worked so far. “What we ended up having were older vets, Vietnam vets,” Davis said. “If they (See Ranch, Page 7)
Honoring our country’s Armed Forces – past, present and future
Veterans Are Never To Be Forgotten VERGENNES
American Legion Post #14 Auxiliary Unit # 14 Sons of the American Legion Sq. #14
MEMORIAL DAY • Addison Independent, Thursday, May 23, 2019 — PAGE 7
Fly the flag with respect (ARA) — One of the country’s most important patriotic holidays arrives this coming Monday — Memorial Day. Across the nation proud Americans will show their patriotism at this time of year by displaying the American Flag. But will they do it properly? “Fewer symbols inspire more patriotism and pride than the American Flag, and displaying it is a wonderful way to show respect not only for our country, but for all those in uniform who have defended it throughout our history,” says Larry Singleton, decor manager for Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, which displays an American Flag in every restaurant. “Honoring our nation’s Flag Code guidelines can make the display of the flag an even more poignant and patriotic gesture.” The federal law known as the “Flag Code” establishes a guide for handling and displaying Old Glory. If you’ll be
showing your American pride this year by displaying the flag or decorating with bunting, here’s a thumbnail review of the code’s guidelines so you can be confident in all you do: • It’s OK to display the flag ’round the clock, but you should illuminate it during nighttime hours. If you’re not able to light the flag at night, the code recommends displaying only between sunrise and sunset. • Hoist it briskly and lower it slowly and ceremoniously. • Be sure to bring your flag in out of rain or snow — unless it’s made of an allweather material, in which case it’s OK to leave it out in inclement weather. • If you would like to display a flag on your car or truck, affix it to the chassis or clamp it to the right front fender. • Many Americans are also proud of their ethnic origins and may choose to display the flag of their heritage along
with the American Flag. That’s fine; just be sure that the U.S. flag is displayed higher up, or if the flags are on the same level, the other flag should be placed to
the left of the American Flag, never to the right. • The blue and white stars field — (See Flag flying, Page 8)
Fowler said thanks to Davis’s help, they it has been a tremendous gift, Fowler said managed it fairly easy. he could have had a lot more done if he had “I just couldn’t believe it took almost two more help. He’d love to work something years,” he said. “In the Mountain Battalion, out with local schools to get children out there is no problem that takes more than a learning how life on a farm works. week to solve.” Two vets have already Since he bought the house Two vets transitioned from staying at four years ago, Fowler has have already his ranch to their own homes, added a heating system and including a female veteran provided electricity to the transitioned and her daughter, who stayed upstairs, which only had one from staying at Fowler’s ranch for several electric light, and is currently at his ranch months before moving to renovating another room with to their own Middlebury. the hopes of adding a bedroom homes, OUTSIDE HELP and bathroom. He has space for A group of Comcast including two vets now, and hopefully employees, some of whom will have room for three in the a female are veterans and some who veteran and future. are military parents, gathered Fowler currently has her daughter. at Fowler’s R&R Ranch in chickens, pigs and a pair of Whiting this on May 3 to get Scottish Highland cattle and recently was an early start on the company’s Comcast donated some woodworking equipment he Cares Day. is setting up in his barn. He has experience The Comcast employees are part of the building and repairing cupolas and will company’s Vet Net, and they came out to soon start work on repairing the cupola Fowler’s to help work on some projects he from atop the Whiting school. needed done. The group brought a load of Although he said he was very thankful for lumber to replace parts of the barn, planted all the help he has received, and he assured some flowers and was hoping to do some
painting if the rain let up. With Davis’s help, Fowler also received a $5,000 grant from the American Legion Foundation to build a new greenhouse. The grant requires a $1,000 match and Davis said she estimates the project will cost a total of $6,250. “We’ve already raised $350 for the greenhouse, and we only got the grant last week,” Davis said. “It’s a 20-foot-by-60foot greenhouse and we’ll need help to build it, but it’s going to have raised beds so people in wheelchairs can work on them too.” Fowler got some help in the form of a Kubota tractor that was donated last year, but which had a bad clutch that needed fixing. Fowler said he and some of the vets who learned with him figured it out and got it working. That tractor, much like his dream of providing a place for veterans to ease back into civilian life, is moving along now. “I feed about 50 mouths a week right here,” Fowler said as he waves an arm toward his table. “There is nothing better than the look on someone’s face when they enjoy the meal you serve them.”
Ranch (Continued from Page 6) just stay at home and don’t do anything, the war comes back for them.” NO PROBLEM TOO LARGE One of the biggest problems Fowler has faced with getting his project rolling is transportation. There is no easy way to get the veterans from where they are to his ranch. “When we first started this, there was transportation,” Fowler said. “Now, there is no transportation for veterans who need to get somewhere. If you’re a homeless veteran in the woods, there is no one you can call who would come get you, and that sucks.” This seems to be a topic that fires him up; he gets more passionate the longer he talks about it. “There is a bus that drives right by here to Brandon every day with one person on it,” he said. “They won’t stop here though because it’s not funded to stop, but they drive right by. We’re talking with them now so maybe some time in the future they’ll stop here.” The Act 250 process can be a long, difficult procedure for some businesses, but
JACKMAN FUELS, INC. Serving Addison & Chittenden Counties Since 1945
Family-owned Local Business PROPANE • ULTRA-LOW SULFUR HEATING OIL & KEROSENE 24 HOUR EMERGENCY SERVICE WATER HEATERS & RINNAI HEATERS
We are Proud to Support Our Veterans & Their Families
877-2661 205 Main Street, Vergennes • www.jackmanfuels.com
PAGE 8 — MEMORIAL DAY • Addison Independent, Thursday, May 23, 2019
Flag flying
TYPICALLY, DRUMMERS LIKE these from the Middlebury Union High School marching band keep parade participants moving along in step with each other.
Independent file photo/Trent Campbell
(Continued from Page 8) known as “the union” — should always be up: at the top of the flag if it’s on a staff or pole, uppermost and to the observer’s left if the flag is being displayed horizontally or vertically against a wall. Displaying the flag with the union down is a signal of dire distress and reserved for instances of extreme danger to life or property. • The flag should be kept from touching the ground, floor, water or anything beneath it. • Flag-themed decor can add a welcome patriotic touch to your home, but it’s best not to get carried away and use the American Flag as bedding or drapery. • Bunting is an acceptable patriotic display; arrange it with the blue portion at the top, the white in the middle and the red at the bottom. • When a flag becomes worn and is in such a condition that it is no longer a fitting emblem for display, it should be destroyed in a dignified way. One way to do that is to give the flag to a local VFW for proper disposal. “Americans show their patriotism and American pride in a number of ways, from buying red, white and blue products to placing flags and flowers on the graves of veterans,” Singleton says. “Displaying the American Flag in a respectful manner is one more way Americans can honor their country this summer and all year long.”
Saluting our Veterans
Middlebury American Legion
49 Wilson Rd., P.O. Box 28, Midd., Vt. 05753 • 802-388-9311 • legionpost27@aol.com
MEMORIAL DAY • Addison Independent, Thursday, May 23, 2019 — PAGE 9
American war casualties
Since the inception of the United States of America on July 4, 1776, every generation of Americans has been called on to defend freedom and liberty. Over the years more than 42 million American men and women have served their country in time of war. More than a million have secured the
WAR/CONFLICT
blessings of liberty with their lives. The Memorial Day Foundation compiled the following Department of Defense statistics detailing the casualties of all the major wars of our country’s history. Many smaller conflicts that saw loss of life are not necessarily included in these statistics.
Revolutionary War, 1775-1783 Franco-American Naval War, 1798-1800 Barbary Wars, 1801-1815 USS Chesapeake vs. HMS Leopard, 1807-1807 War of 1812, 1812-1815 Indian Wars, 1817-1898, All Conflicts Peru, 1820-1820 West Indies, 1822-1825 Mexican War, 1846-1848 Japan, 1853 Texas Border Cortina War, 1859-1860 Civil War North, 1861-1865 Civil War South, 1861-1865 Formosa, 1867-1867 & Mexico, 1870 Korea, 1871 Spanish-American War, 1898-1899 Philippines Insurrection, 1899-1902 China Boxer Rebellion, 1900 Moro Campaigns, 1902-1913 Mexico Campaign, 1911-1919 Nicaragua, 1912 & Vera Cruz, Mexico, 1914 Haiti, 1915-1920 Dominican Republic, 1916-1922 World War I, 1917-1918 Russia North Expedition, 1918-1919 Russia Siberia Expedition, 1918-1920 China Yangtze Service, 1921-1932 Nicaragua, 1927-1932 North Atlantic Naval Conflict, 1941 World War II, 1941-1946 Italy Trieste, 1945-1947 China Civil War, 1945-1947 Korean War, 1950-1953 Matsu and Quemoy, 1954 Cuba Bay of Pigs, 1962 Panama Canal Riots, 1964 Dominican Republic, 1965-1966 Vietnam, 1965-1975 South Korea Border Incidents, 1966-1969 USS Liberty-Israel, 1967 USS Mayaguez-Cambodia, 1975 Iran Operation Desert One, 1980 Lebanon Peacekeeping, 1882-1984 Urgent Fury, Grenada, 1983 El Salvador, 1983-1991 Honduras, 1984-1989 Libya, 1986 USS Stark-Persian Gulf, 1987 Persian Gulf, 1987 Just Cause, Panama, 1989-1990 Persian Gulf War, 1990-1991 Restore Hope, Somalia, 1992-1994 Uphold Democracy, Haiti, 1994-1996 Khobar Towers / Saudi Arabia, 1996-1996 U.S. Embassy-Kenya, 1998-1998 Kosovo, 1999-1999 USS Cole-Yemen, 2000 Operation Endure Freedom, Afghanistan, 2001-2014 Operation Endure Freedom, Philippines, 2002 Operation Iraqi Freedom, 2003-2010 Operation New Dawn, 2010-2011
TOTAL DEATHS 4,435 20 35 3 2,260 1,000 2 3 13,283 5 5 364,511 199,110 1 each 4 2,446 4,273 53 130 19 5 & 19 146 144 116,516 246 170 5 136 141 405,399 6 12 36,574 3 9 4 59 58,209 89 34 18 8 29 16 20 1 2 37 148 22 382 31 3 19 3 1 17 2,352 64 4,425 66
BE A MEMBER. NOT JUST A NUMBER. At Co-op, we’re member owned and member committed. Since 1915 we’ve been providing protection for individuals, farms and businesses with a large network of local agents, fast and fair claims service, knowledge of farm safety practices and affordable rates. At the Co-op, you’re a member, not just a number.
Thanks to all who have served!
HOME
•
AUTO
•
BUSINESS
•
FARM
292 Colonial Drive, Middlebury, VT 05753-5890 (802) 388-7917 | (800) 639-4017 www.co-opinsurance.com | www.facebook.com/coopinsco
Member owned. Member committed.
PAGE 10 — MEMORIAL DAY • Addison Independent, Thursday, May 23, 2019
Memorial Day origins more complex than you might guess Though many people are quick to refer to Memorial Day as the unofficial beginning of summer, the day is much more than that. Initially known as Decoration Day, Memorial Day is a day to remember those military members who died in service of the country. The origins of Memorial Day remain a topic of debate. In 1966, President Lyndon Johnson declared Waterloo, N.Y., as the official birthplace of Memorial Day. However, the roots of Memorial Day likely run much deeper, as researchers at Duke University note that during the Civil War, organized women’s groups in the South had begun to decorate the graves of fallen soldiers.
Memorial Day as we know it today can likely be traced to Charleston, S.C., where teachers, missionaries and some members of the press gathered on May 1, 1865, to honor fallen soldiers. During the Civil War, captured Union soldiers were held at the Charleston Race Course and hundreds died during captivity. Upon their deaths, soldiers were buried in unmarked graves. When the Civil War ended, the May Day gathering was organized as a memorial to all the men who had died during captivity. The burial ground was landscaped, and those freed as a result of the Civil War played an integral role in the event at the Charleston Race Course. While the event in Charleston might
have been the first Memorial Day-type celebration in the southern United States, Gen. John A. Logan is often cited as inspiring similar events in the north. As commander-in-chief of the Grand Army of the Republic, a veterans’ organization for men who served in the Civil War, Gen. Logan issued a proclamation just five days after the Charleston event that called for Decoration Day to be observed annually across the country. Logan preferred the event not be held on the anniversary of any particular battle, and thus the day was observed for the first time on May 30. Celebrating the day in May also was significant to event organizers because May is a month when flowers are in
bloom, making it easier for observers of the holiday to place flowers on the graves of fallen soldiers. In 1868, events were held at more than 180 cemeteries in 27 states, and those figures nearly doubled in 1869. By 1890, every northern state officially recognized Decoration Day as a state holiday. But southern states honored their dead on a different day until after World War I, when the holiday was changed to recognize Americans who died in any war and not just the Civil War. Nearly every state now celebrates Memorial Day, a name for the holiday first used in 1882, on the last Monday in May. — Metro Creative
On Memorial Day our flag should be at half-staff from sunrise to noon
Let’s never forget what they did and why.
Former Addison County Deputy Sheriff and High Bailiff of Addison County, Ron Holmes, would like to Salute all who have given their lives for our country on this Memorial Day.
When should the flag be flown at halfstaff? An easy way to remember when to fly the United States flag at half-staff is to consider when the whole nation is in mourning. These periods of mourning are proclaimed either by the president of the United States, for national remembrance, or the governor of a state or territory, for local remembrance, in the event of a death of a member or former member of the federal, state or territorial government or judiciary. The heads of departments and agencies of the federal government may also order that the flag be flown at halfstaff on buildings, grounds and naval vessels under their jurisdiction. On Memorial Day the flag should be flown at half-staff from sunrise until noon only, then raised briskly to the top of the staff until sunset, in honor of the nation’s battle heroes. In the early days of our country, no regulations existed for flying the flag at half-staff and, as a result, there were many conflicting policies. But on March 1, 1954, President Dwight Eisenhower issued a proclamation on the proper times. The flag should fly at half-staff for 30 days at all federal buildings, grounds, and naval vessels throughout the United States and its territories and possessions after the death of the president or a former president. It is to fly 10 days at half-staff after the death of the vice president, the chief justice or a
Thank you for your Service.
retired chief justice of the United States Supreme Court, or the speaker of the House of Representatives. For an associate justice of the Supreme Court, a member of the Cabinet, a former vice president, the president pro tempore of the Senate, the majority leader of the Senate, the minority leader of the Senate, the majority leader of the House of Representatives, or the minority leader of the House of Representatives the flag is to be displayed at half-staff from the day of death until interment. The flag is to be flown at half-staff at all federal buildings, grounds and naval vessels in the Washington, D.C., area on the day and day after the death of a United States senator, representative, territorial delegate, or the resident commissioner from the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. It should also be flown at half-staff on all federal facilities in the state, congressional district, territory, or commonwealth of these officials. Upon the death of the governor of a state, territory or possession, the flag should be flown at half-staff on all federal facilities in that governor’s state, territory or possession from the day of death until interment. The president may order the flag to be flown at half-staff to mark the death of other officials and after other tragic events. The flag should be briskly run up to the top of the staff before being lowered slowly to the half-staff position.
✯ ✯O ✯O ✯ O✯ O✯ O✯ O✯O✯O✯O✯O✯O✯O
Elderly Services Elderly Services 112 Exchange St., Middlebury 112 Exchange St., Middlebury
Supporting ElderlyVeterans Veterans && Serving Elderly Their Families Since 1981 Their Families Since 1981
We are a Veterans’ Administration Contract Adult Day Center
802-877-3118
388-3983 • www.elderlyservices.org
MEMORIAL DAY • Addison Independent, Thursday, May 23, 2019 — PAGE 11
BRIDPORT’S JENNA HOWLETT, the first runner up in the Miss Vermont Teen USA 2018 competition, cruises through Middlebury’s downtown in last year’s Memorial Day parade. Later in the year, the Middlebury Union High School junior was crowned Miss Vermont Teen USA 2019!
Independent file photo/Trent Campbell
We remember and honor those who have given their lives defending our freedom and democracy. Sanderson -Ducharme Funeral Home Locally Owned and Operated On Site Cremation
117 South Main Street • Middlebury, VT • 388-2311
Proud to provide service to those who served. John Fuller, Master Plumber • 388-2019 Serving Addison County since 1989
Thanks to our Veterans for Keeping us Connected to our Freedoms. Telecommunications Sales & Service Data Cabling & Fiber Optics 802-388-8999 John and Jim Fitzgerald
In honor of those who have served and who continue to serve. Thank You. www.JackmansInc.com • 32 Pine Street, Bristol
453-2381
PAGE 12 — MEMORIAL DAY • Addison Independent, Thursday, May 23, 2019
Memorial Day Scrapbook THE SETH WARNER Fife & Drum Corps, shown above, will play the United States’ first national anthem, “Chester,” in a Memorial Day ceremony on the steps of Town Hall Theater following the parade through downtown Middlebury that starts at 9 a.m. Right, former Gov. James Douglas gives the keynote address at the Middlebury Memorial Day ceremony last year. Below, a float filled with pageant contestants rolled up Main Street in Vergennes during a Memorial Day parade.
Independent file photos/Trent Campbell
MEMORIAL DAY • Addison Independent, Thursday, May 23, 2019 — PAGE 13
Memorial Day Scrapbook VETERANS FROM VARIOUS branches of the United States armed forces, left, march proudly in the Orwell Memorial Day parade in 2017. Above, starspangled girls wave from the Rotary float in Middlebury’s Memorial Day Parade in 2016. Below, American Legion Post 27’s Honor Guard leads the 2018 parade. At the Memorial ceremony after the parade this coming Monday, the Honor Guard will present a wreath and salute deceased veterans.
Independent file photos/Trent Campbell
PAGE 14 — MEMORIAL DAY • Addison Independent, Thursday, May 23, 2019
Memorial Day Scrapbook FLAGS ARE ALWAYS a big part of every Memorial Day observance. Above, Old Glory festoons the convertible in which two honored veterans accept applause; above right, Shriners carry an amazing number of flags in the Orwell parade; and this young lad at right is tasked with carrying the Stars and Stripes with the Mary Hogan Elementary School band in Middlebury.
Independent file photos/Trent Campbell
MEMORIAL DAY • Addison Independent, Thursday, May 23, 2019 — PAGE 15
Community.
We work every day to keep Addison County strong. ADDISON COUNTY
INDEPENDENT Serving Addison County, Vt., Since 1946 Serving Addison County since 1946 www.addisonindependent.com • 388-4944
PAGE 16 — MEMORIAL DAY • Addison Independent, Thursday, May 23, 2019
Heroes are few and far between. We honor all service-men & -women on this Memorial Day and every day. Thank you for your devotion to our nation. From all of us at Monument Farms Dairy
Monument Farms Dairy
2107 James Rd., Weybridge, Vt. • 802-545-2119
Wishing Everyone a Happy and Safe Memorial Day! Family operated since 1982 33 Seymour Street Middlebury, VT 802-388-7620 www.countytirecenter.com info@countytirecenter.com Mon – Fri 8am-5pm
With great appreciation & gratitude to: Bristol American Legion, Post #19 Middlebury American Legion, Post #27 Vergennes American Legion, Post #14
From the Addision County Legion Baseball Players and Coaches ~ past & present