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Friday, November 8, 2013
Volume 9 • Issue No. 45
Soldiers Reunite After 68 Years Written by Ethan Bukowiec Staff Writer NORTH BERWICK – When Philip McGonagle is asked about his 21-month tour of duty during World War II, a sincere fondness is seen in his sky blue eyes. That same fondness is seen when he is asked about Dominic “Dick” Paul, with whom he served those 21 months with in the 44th Field Hospital unit stationed in Burma from 1944 to 1946. McGonagle was able to reunite with his old friend after 68 years had passed since the two left Burma and returned stateside. On August, 20, McGonagle, accompanied by his wife and daughter, drove up to St. Johnsbury, Vt. to meet Paul and his wife and son. The two World War II veterans sat for two to three hours at a restaurant looking at old pictures and catching up. “It was very emotional,” McGonagle recalls of the reunion. “You have to figure that out of all the guys that I wrote to and he wrote to after the war, we were the only ones alive that we knew of.” While it had been such a long time since McGonagle and Paul had last seen each other, the two men picked up right where
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Arts & Entertainment 18 Calendar of Events 12 Classifieds 36-37 Computer Lady 31 Home & Business 33-35 Library News 13 Puzzles 35 Sports 28 Real Estate 29 Where To Dine 20-27
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they left off in Burma. Working as surgical technicians in the operating room, McGonagle and Paul had seen a lot together and developed a close bond that wasn’t easily matched by the other relationships they formed overseas. “The majority of us O.R. Techs hung around together, and
Dick and I were just really close,” said McGonagle. The Malden, Mass. native went to Army medical school to be a hospital technician, and that is where he met Paul, a native of Rutland, Vt. who was a pre-med student at the University of Vermont before being assigned to the
the 44th Field Hospital. Being a medical student, Paul knew his way around the operating room and helped McGonagle learn the tricks of the trade. McGonagle has nothing but praise for Paul, saying that the Vermonter was a really smart, sharp fellow. “He was the only guy I know who had done a couple of operations on his own,” said McGonagle as he chuckled at his own solo surgical attempts. “I had only done a small one on my own.” The two had a few scares while in Burma, including the time Paul was shot by an enemy in the lower spine, but they made it home unscathed. Remembering the beauty of the country, the
humbling Himalayas and the attractive Burmese nurses, a boyish smile lights up McGonagle’s friendly blue eyes. After their tour of duty was finished, McGonagle returned to Medford, Mass., where he went to X-Ray school at Massachusetts General Hospital and later joined the Fire Department in Malden. He has been retired for the past 24 years and moved to North Berwick with his wife Mary over seven years ago. Paul, went back to Rutland, Vt., and moved on from a medical career to become a school teacher and an eventual assistant superintendent in the Rutland City Schools Department. While it was only a brief time that McGonagle spent with See SOLDIERS page 5...
Dominic “Dick” Paul (left) and Philip McGonagle (right), who had not seen each other since they served as hospital technicians in World War II, were reunited in St. Johnsbury, Vt. in August. (photo courtesy Kathy Spencer)
Berwick Academy to Host First Annual Veterans Day Celebration SOUTH BERWICK On Monday, Nov. 11 from 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m., Berwick Academy will hold it’s First Annual Veterans Day Celebration throughout the school’s campus. The program attendees will include Berwick Academy students, faculty and invited veterans. The event will be held in two different locations, outdoor at the flagpole and indoor in the Athletics Center. For the outdoor portion, there will be a poetry reading by Abby Moore, taps by a bugler, a color guard, and the singing of the National Anthem by Sarah Kahn . The indoor portion will feature recognition of veterans and remarks from the Head of School, Greg Schneider, poetry readings by Berwick students,
music from the Granite State Choral Society, and a prayer for our military by Moore. Three guest veterans will also speak: Vietnam War veteran, Major General Edward Crowley; First Gulf War veteran, Captain John Crowley; Afghanistan War veteran, Colonel Shawn O’Brien. Berwick Academy student Kevin O’Day initiated this event based on his 2012 Innovation Center Project for which he researched the history of Veterans Day. Through this research, O’Day realized that the School did not have a traditional celebration for Veterans Day. Berwick is also one of the schools in the area that is in session on this day and O’Day saw this as a great opportunity for the Berwick community to honor our veterans and the service that they have performed for our country.
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Jake Moody of Wells High School carries the ball in Western Maine Class C action early this season.
Rivalries Heat Up in High School Football Showdowns By Larry Favinger Contributing Writer YORK COUNTY The football teams from Marshwood of South Berwick and York High Schools will face each other for the fourth time in two years Saturday, this time, for a spot in the Western Maine Class B regional title game next weekend. Another area team, Wells, is also in the hunt for a berth in the regionals facing Spruce Mountain in Western Maine Class C action. The Warriors finished the regular season with a 6-2 record, ranked second in Class C. The Phoenix stand at 7-2 following
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a 42-13 quarterfinals win over Freeport last week. Wells had a bye last week. This season York beat the Hawks in the final regular season game for both teams, earning the No 2 seed in the post-season playoffs, while denying Marshwood that spot. Both teams bring 7-2 records into the 1:30 p.m. game at the York High School field, the Wildcats are seeking their eighth win in row since opening the campaign with two losses. Marshwood lost its regular season finale to York, but was dominant in last See FOOTBALL page 28...
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