Vassalboro holds Memorial Day ceremony

from left to right, Mike Poulin, Tom Richards, commander, James Kilbride, adjutant, Doug Grasso, Nicole Jordan and Robert Whitehouse. (photo by Rachel Kilbride)

At the Vassalboro Recreation Field. (photo by Rachel Kilbride)

VASSALBORO, ME — American Legion Post #126, in Vassalboro, laid wreaths at the various veteran monuments in Vassalboro on Memorial Day, Monday, May 30, 2022.

The wreath laying ceremonies began at 9 a.m., on Main St, North Vassalboro, at Main Street Veteran Monument. From there they proceeded to the bridge on Oak Grove Road to lay flowers in honor of those lost at sea. Next they gathered at the flagpole and monument at the North Vassalboro Cemetery, on Cemetery St. From there they went to the Recreation Field, in East Vassalboro. Their final stop was in East Vassalboro at the Civil War Monument, at Monument Park, near the boat landing.

Issue for May 26, 2022

Issue for May 26, 2022

Celebrating 34 years of local news

PHOTOS: Box Dam fish ladder dedicated in Vassalboro

The Alwife Restoration ribbon cutting celebration was held in Vassalboro on May 19, with Gov. Janet Mills present to cut the ribbon at the new fish ladder installed on the Box Dam…

Your Local News

Select board moves to purchase new loader

CHINA — After a long discussion at their May 23 meeting, China Select Board members unanimously voted to buy a new Volvo loader from Chadwick-BaRoss, Inc., of Westbrook…

Committee will not recommend new storage building

CHINA — China Transfer Station Committee members decided at their May 17 meeting they will not recommend a new building to shelter the second compactor just north of the main trash hopper, because cost estimates are too high…

School board chairman stepping down

VASSALBORO — The May 17 Vassalboro School Board meeting was Chairman Kevin Levasseur’s last, after 21 years on the board, and was marked by expressions of appreciation on both sides…

EVENTS: Memorial Day Festivities

CENTRAL ME – Memorial Day events for South China, China Village, Fairfield and Madison…

EVENTS: Taste of Waterville: Save the Date

WATERVILLE – Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce’s 30th annual Taste of Waterville is planned for Wednesday, August 3, from noon to 11 a.m., at the Head of Falls, off Front St., in downtown Waterville…

EVENTS: Wreath laying ceremony in Vassalboro

VASSALBORO – American Legion Post #126, in Vassalboro invites the community to join them as they lay wreaths at the various veteran monuments in Vassalboro on Monday, May 30, 2022…

Name that film!

Identify the film in which this line originated and qualify to win FREE passes to Railroad Square Cinema in Waterville: “You can’t handle the truth!” Email us at townline@townline.org with subject “Name that film!” Deadline for submission is June 9, 2022…

LETTERS: Smith will fight for Mainers

from Al Fereshetian (Turner) – Please vote for Katrina Smith for House District #62, serving China, Palermo, Somerville, Windsor and Hibberts Gore. Katrina is a voice of reason and principle that will stand up for freedom and liberty for all Mainers…

LETTERS: Smith will help regenerate businesses

from Bonnie Hunter (Palermo) – Please join me in voting for Katrina Smith as State Representative on June 14 in the primary elections. The representative area will be District #62, which includes China, Palermo, Somerville, and Windsor…

LETTERS: Russia: stop this madness, please

from Richard Dillenbeck (South China) – As a great-grandfather, old enough to remember the horrors of WW II, I again appeal to the sensibilities of the Russian people to stop this insanity of armed conflict in Ukraine…

LETTERS: Thanks to China For A Lifetime

from Rosalyn Vance/Roni Newton (China) – We want to thank the volunteers from the “China for a Lifetime’ committee and others who came to help cut up “Grandfather Pine” (as we always called him) and did so much more. We truly never could have done any of that ourselves. We will never forget your kindnesses. Thank you…

Memorial Day: Let us never forget our solemn pledge

by Joseph Reagan – On Memorial Day, 1945, the war in Europe had ended but the fighting in the Pacific continued, Lt. Gen. Lucian Truscott voiced remarks at the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery at Nettuno, Italy. Turning his back on the assembled VIP’s he faced the rows upon rows of headstones and apologized to the 20,000 fallen Americans who had been laid to rest far from home…

Area student named to Caldwell University dean’s list

OAKLAND – Brooke Martin, of Oakland, was among 663 students named to Caldwell University’s fall 2021 dean’s list, in Caldwell, New Jersey…

Bradstreet announces re-election bid

VASSALBORO Representative Dick Bradstreet is announcing that he is seeking re-election to the Maine House of Representatives. He has served three terms representing the people of House District #80, which includes the towns of Windsor, Somerville, the Unorganized Township of Hibberts Gore, part of Augusta and his home town of Vassalboro…

Area residents named to University of New England dean’s list

CENTRAL ME The following students have been named to the dean’s list for the 2021 fall semester at the University of New England, in Biddeford. Dean’s list students have attained a grade point average of 3.3 or better out of a possible 4.0 at the end of the semester…

Mikala Ferland named Ezhaya scholarship

FAIRFIELD Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce has announced the 2022 Joseph B. Ezhaya scholarship winner. Mikala Ferland was selected as the scholarship recipient from a field of applicants. Mikala is one of the top students in her class at Lawrence High School, in Fairfield…

Elvis in the garden: a neighborhood garden competition in Palermo

PALERMO The air smells warm and fresh. The leaves have that bright new green color, only seen at this time of the year. The grass is soft to walk on as we move over to the garden that we left bare last fall. We all hear the call for planting again this year… by Jim Metcalf

Up and down the Kennebec Valley: Immigrants (new)

CENTRAL ME HISTORY — The French-Canadians and the Irish were not the only groups coming to the central Kennebec Valley from other countries. Stephen Plocher wrote in his Waterville history (found on line) that in the 1860s, people he called “Syrian-Lebanese” from Syria (Lebanon and Syria were French mandates until 1943, when they became two separate countries) began arriving… by Mary Grow [1807 words]

Up and down the Kennebec Valley: French-Canadians – Part 2

CENTRAL ME HISTORY — The story of French-Canadian immigrants in the Augusta and Waterville area, as presented by the writers cited, is partly a story of separateness and discrimination evolving into cooperation and mutual respect… by Mary Grow [2066 words]

Up and down the Kennebec Valley: French-Canadians – Part 1

AUGUSTA HISTORY — Two distinctly non-British peoples who came to live mainly in Augusta and Waterville, the largest manufacturing centers in the central Kennebec Valley in the 19th and early 20th centuries, were French-Canadians who came south from Canada’s Québec Province, and Middle Easterners, especially Lebanese and Syrians… by Mary Grow [1841 words]

Up and down the Kennebec Valley: Blacks in Maine – Part 4

MAINE HISTORY — The Samuel Osbornes discussed in last week’s article were not the only Black family in 19th-century Waterville. Various sources mention several others, though details are often scanty and/or confusing. Local historians did not consistently state the race or nationality of people they wrote about… by Mary Grow [1754 words]

CALENDAR OF EVENTS: Kennebec River Brewfest set for Aug. 6

The Kennebec River Brewfest will feature a variety of local breweries, wineries, distilleries, and meaderies that will take your taste buds on a tour of the great state of Maine and quench your thirst for delicious craft beer and spirits… and many other local events!

Obituaries

SIDNEY – Mark Glazier Gould, 68, passed peacefully in his sleep on Saturday, May 14, 2022, at the Alfond Center for Health, in Augusta. He was born on May 17, 1953, in Augusta, to George and Lorraine “Tillie” (Glazier)…. and remembering 10 others.

Common Ground: Win a $10 gift certificate!

DEADLINE: Wednesday, June 17, 2022

Identify the people in these three photos, and tell us what they have in common. You could win a $10 gift certificate to Retail Therapy Boutique in Waterville! Email your answer to townline@townline.org or through our Contact page. Include your name and address with your answer. Use “Common Ground” in the subject!

Previous winner: Frank Hersey, Winslow

Town Line Original Columnists

Roland D. HalleeSCORES & OUTDOORS

by Roland D. Hallee | Recent news reports have indicated a high rate of deaths among young moose in northern Maine. Lee Kantar, the moose biologist with the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (MDIFW), said the winter ticks are to blame…

VETERANS CORNER

by Gary Kennedy | The last Monday in May is strategically placed as to generate the name Memorial Day weekend. As you can see placing this holiday in this position allows for a long weekend for most of us. Schools, federal and state agencies as well as others will be closed…

CRITTER CHATTER

by Jayne Winters | You never know what you’ll find in Don Cote’s living room at the Duck Pond Wildlife Rehab Center, in Vassalboro. When I visited him a few weeks ago to decide on a topic for this month’s article, as soon as I walked in, I knew what it would be: weasels. I’ve never seen one in the wild and feel fortunate to have arrived at Duck Pond the same day Don had one that had been captured locally…

Peter CatesREVIEW POTPOURRI

by Peter Cates | During my senior year at Kent’s Hill boarding school the spring of 1969, I lived in Wesleyan Hall dormitory and was acquainted with a fellow whose father was a wholesale record distributor. He provided me with five LPs for sale at $2 each and gave me several days to audition them…

FOR YOUR HEALTH

(NAPSI) | According to recent research by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 2 million middle- and high-school students use e-cigarettes…

LETTERS: Smith will help regenerate businesses

To the editor:

Please join me in voting for Katrina Smith as State Representative on June 14 in the primary elections. The representative area will be District #62, which includes China, Palermo, Somerville, and Windsor.

When asked what she perceives to be our state’s greatest challenge over the next ten years, she replied, “The greatest challenge to Maine is rebuilding our economy after the loss of thousands of businesses throughout the pandemic. The state has one of the worst business environments in the country and, without improving it, we will not keep the next generation in Maine and will not see prosperity for our people but only further dependence on state resources.” (https://ballotpedia.org/Katrina_Smith).

We have seen so many small businesses forced to close because of COVID restrictions. We need to help regenerate small businesses, again. I believe Katrina is the person to help us do this. Katrina lives with her family in Palermo, and she says she loves the hardworking people who believe in the way life should be. Please join us at the polls and make a positive change for Maine!

Bonnie Hunter
Palermo

Memorial Day Festivities 2022

Memorial Day Festivities

South China Memorial Day Ceremony

Mon., May 30, 11 a.m.
Veterans Memorial Park
American Legion Post 179
Ceremony only, NO PARADE

China Village

China Village Memorial Day ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. Meet at the Causeway Rd. FMI: Contact Mary Lockhart at 968-2717.

Town of Fairfield Memorial Day parade canceled

The Fairfield Memorial Day parade has been canceled due to the lack of participants and bands. The graveside tributes and luncheon will take place as scheduled, hosted by Fairfield VFW Post #6924, 246 Main St., Fairfield, 207-453-2565.

Madison Memorial day

Please join the members of The Tardiff-Belanger American Legion Post #39 and American Legion Auxiliary Unit #39, Madison, in honoring Our Fallen Heroes on Memorial Day, May 30, at the Memorial Day Ceremonies with guest speaker Brad Farrin, State Senator. Starting at 9 a.m., at Starks Town Office, 9:30 a.m., at the Veterans Monument, at Anson Town Office, followed by scattering of flowers off the bridge; 10 a.m. at the Veterans Monument, at the Madison Library; 10:30 a.m., at the US/Canadian Monument, at Forest Hills Cemetery, on Park Street ,and at 11 a.m., at the Joseph Quirion Veteran Monument, in the center of East Madison.

Elvis in the garden: a neighborhood garden competition in Palermo

The Palermo Community Garden in summer. (Contributed photo)

by Jim Metcalf

The air smells warm and fresh. The leaves have that bright new green color, only seen at this time of the year. The grass is soft to walk on as we move over to the garden that we left bare last fall. We all hear the call for planting again this year. But this year things are going to be different. Our garden is going to be a showplace with arrow straight rows, bushels of the tastiest vegetables and not a weed within a hundred yards of the garden.

This year our garden will easily win the Best Garden of the Summer award. Every August for many years an unknown judge has always placed a blue ribbon tied to a stake at the edge of one of the gardens in Palermo, noting that garden as the best of the summer. No one ever saw or knew who awarded this prestigious prize, but as years went by the competition became more intense. No longer were weeds allowed to grow and rows became straighter and freshened up with frequent hoeing. Hilda and Lloyd Leeman on Leeman’s Arm spent an hour or two in their garden every morning. As a result of their work, they found the blue ribbon hanging on a post among their rows on more than one occasion.

Hilda and Lloyd’s Garden was back of the red barn at the old house on Leeman Arm. Their garden, full of corn, tomatoes, greens, peas, beans, carrots and other root crops was right out of a photograph in a farm journal magazine. The garden provided them with fresh vegetables along with plenty of stock for making the best sauerkraut and canned vegetables to last all winter.

As generous Mainers they always canned and froze more than they could use in case other families were in need during the winter. All summer they put a box at the edge of the camp road. The box was filled every morning with fresh vegetables for campers and anyone else who wanted to enjoy the taste of fresh home-grown vegetables. The box never remained full very long.

Just on the other side of the barn, Archie Leeman grew the best corn mostly for his annual corn party on one Sunday afternoon in August. Scores of families, town folk, summer campers and friends would show up with salads, desserts, and drinks, but the main feature was fresh corn. The cooking pots of spring water were heated over an outdoor fire. But only when a rolling boil was achieved did Archie run across to the garden to pick baskets full of fresh corn. It was husked and dropped into the boiling water for just a few minutes then served with fresh creamery butter and salt. Then the corn eating and enjoyment ritual was repeated and repeated until everyone could not eat another bite of this golden yellow treat.

Following in the footsteps of these great gardeners, Gary Leeman started a nice vegetable garden above the old barn in a stony patch of ground. He too produced fine crops of vegetables for summer enjoyment and winter canning. Gary was known as the innovator and experimenter in the garden. He was the first to grow a variety of white skinned cucumbers which looked quite different but were very easy to spot among the green vines. The white cukes had thin skins never needing peeling while tasting great fresh or pickled in the many canning jars he and his wife Sharon put up.

Since Gary’s Garden was closer to a stand of trees, his was the target of birds and other vegetable enjoying creatures. He developed a way to hang white plastic grocery bags on stakes which every breeze would fill with air to scare anything out of the garden. In fact, if anyone wanted to raid the garden on a breezy moon lit night, they might have second thoughts with these white air-filled ghost-like bags moving around the unseen stakes.

Gary like the others competed for the blue-ribbon best garden award. He was a good musician and band member who wanted to add a little instrumentation and unique style to his garden to convince raccoons to stay out of the corn and maybe impress the unknown best garden judge. He designed the Elvis scarecrow who stood in the garden with a guitar hanging on his neck, playing as the ghost shopping bags rocked and rolled around the vegetables. We believe that Gary added music from a portable radio to the Elvis scarecrow. If he did, it would have had to include Blue Suede Shoes and Don’t Be Cruel to plead with the raccoons to stay out of the corn.

I think that Gary’s Elvis scarecrow received honorable mention one year for Best Musical Garden. All the gardeners speculated on who awarded the best garden blue ribbon but the judge has never been exposed. Many of those great and generous gardeners are gone now but their memories remain every time we pass the old barn and grown over gardens. All the children and friends who had opportunities to partake of Archie and Penny’s corn feed or who picked up a few fresh vegies from the box aside the camp road or just admired the straight, neat, well-manicured award-winning gardens wonder if we can ever reproduce these beautiful producing gardens.

The challenge is ours and the judge who awards the Best Garden Blue ribbon could still be traveling around town this summer looking for a place to plant the stake with the Blue Ribbon. Gary is still planting his white skinned cukes and corn, but this year he lost his prime garden space to land development. However, wherever Gary plants this year you will see Elvis, the rock and rolling musical scarecrow, shake and shimmy the vegetables into tasty perfection.

Mikala Ferland named Ezhaya scholarship winner

Mikala Ferland

Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce has announced the 2022 Joseph B. Ezhaya scholarship winner.

Mikala Ferland was selected as the scholarship recipient from a field of applicants.

Mikala is one of the top students in her class at Lawrence High School, in Fairfield. She also completed a Health Science Certificate at KVCC while still a senior student. She values citizenship and responsibility, along with having a passion for music and martial arts. Her stated mission is to make a significant difference in the lives of others as she moves forward.

Mikala was a member of the National Honors Society and served as secretary and representative of her class during her high school tenure. She assisted in teaching and has participated in martial arts for over seven years. She has a long list of musical accomplishments in her background. Mikala serves as a lifeguard at the Alfond Youth and Community Center (AYCC), in Waterville, since 2020 and has dedicated over 320 volunteer hours at Camp Tracy.

Mikala will attend Kennebec Valley Community College’s nursing program, in Fairfield, in the fall.

The Joseph B. Ezhaya scholarship was established in memory of Joe Ezhaya, a community leader who was known for his generosity and dedication to civic engagement.

REVIEW POTPOURRI: Five LPs from my youth

Arlo Guthrie

Peter Catesby Peter Cates

Arlo Guthrie

During my senior year at Kent’s Hill boarding school the spring of 1969, I lived in Wesleyan Hall dormitory and was acquainted with a fellow whose father was a wholesale record distributor.

He provided me with five LPs for sale at $2 each and gave me several days to audition them.

They were as follows:

Arlo Guthrie’s Alice’s Restaurant devoted an entire side one to his satirical account of an environmental incident which, for purposes of space, will not be recounted here, while the flip side had five songs of very minor charm.

His father was folk singer Woody Guthrie whose most famous song was This Land Is Your Land.

It was also the basis for a movie.

In recent years, Guthrie announced that he was retiring, at 74, from performing and touring, aptly stating that it was time to hang up the “Gone fishing” sign.

He also scored a hit with the beautiful Steve Goodman folk ballad The City of New Orleans 50 years ago.

Rod McKuen

Rod McKuen

The second LP was one by singer/poet songwriter Rod McKuen (1933-2015) whose recordings and books sold hundreds of millions of copies. His singing was not exactly beautiful after he all but des­troyed his vocal chords as a much younger man working in night clubs.

His most famous songs are Seasons in the Sun which was a hit for the Kingston Trio; Love’s Been Good to Me covered by Frank Sinatra who devoted his LP, A Man Alone, to McKuen; and the English lyrics for Jacques Brel’s If You Go Away.

I am particularly fond of If You Go Away while my father enjoyed Stanyan Street. Glenn Yarborough of the Limelighters devoted several albums to McKuen .

McKuen lived in a large Spanish-style house on Southern California’s Pacific coast and owned a humongous record collection.

Burt Bacharach

Burt Bacharach

Number three was the original Broadway cast recording of Burt Bacharach’s Promises Promises. Jerry Ohrbach and Jill O’Hara did top notch starring and singing roles, Ohrbach with She Likes Basketball, A Fact Can Be a Beautiful Thing and the title song which was a megahit for Dionne Warwick while Jill O’Hara’s Knowing When to Leave was and remains to this day a show stopper.

Bacharach recently celebrated his 94th birthday.

Ray Coniff

Ray Coniff

The 4th album was one of the Ray Conniff (1916-2002) Singers performing mid ‘60s hits such as My Cup Runneth Over and Winchester Cathedral.

Conniff was one of the finest jazz trombonists during the ‘30s and ‘40s and can be heard in quite a number of old recordings of small combos from those years, especially with clarinetist Artie Shaw.

During the 1950s, Conniff worked side by side with Mitch Miller at Columbia records producing numerous discs by such singers as Tony Bennett, Marty Robbins, and Johnny Mathis.

Along about then, he formed the Ray Conniff Singers as a means of providing sophisticated easy listening albums for its huge market, as did Andre Kostelanetz, Percy Faith, Paul Weston, Nelson Riddle, Hugo Winterhalter, etcs.

And he utilized a number of the same men who were part of Mitch’s Sing Along Gang because every one of them could sight read music.

Mary Hopkins

Mary Hopkins

The last album was a solo LP featuring the wonderful Mary Hopkin singing her classic Those Were the Days and covers of other vintage hits-examples being Ray Noble’s Love is the Sweetest Thing, Inch Worm and There’s No Business Like Show Business. It was released on the Beatles’ own label, Apple records. She is still living at 74.

My friend was one happy camper when I handed him a $10 bill.

 

 

 

 

Taste of Waterville: Save the Date

Mid-Maine Chamber of Commerce’s 30th annual Taste of Waterville is planned for Wednesday, August 3, from noon to 11 a.m., at the Head of Falls, off Front St., in downtown Waterville.

This year’s format will feature cultural foods, vendor booths and demonstrations focused on the ethnic diversity of the area. Taste of Waterville will be an adult-focused day-long event with a variety of ethnic food options, entertainment, live music, beer/wine gardens and an expanded brew sampling. There will be a cornhole tournament this year to add to the excitement. Timelines for entertainment and activities are currently under development.

Applications are now being accepted for restaurant, bite booth, food truck and food-related vendor participants. Taste of Waterville encourages participation from both Mid-Maine Chamber members and non-members throughout the region. To reserve a spot for this year’s event, please contact Cindy@midmainechamber.com.

For more information as it is determined, visit www.tasteofwaterville.com.

Area student named to Caldwell University dean’s list

Brooke Martin, of Oakland, was among 663 students named to Caldwell University’s fall 2021 dean’s list, in Caldwell, New Jersey, according to Peter Ubertaccio, Ph.D., vice president for academic affairs at the University. In order to achieve this honor, students must maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or higher and complete at least 12 credits during the semester.

Memorial Day: Let us never forget our solemn pledge

photo: www.wreathsacrossamerica.org

by Joseph Reagan

On Memorial Day, 1945, the war in Europe had ended but the fighting in the Pacific continued, Lt. Gen. Lucian Truscott voiced remarks at the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery at Nettuno, Italy. Turning his back on the assembled VIP’s he faced the rows upon rows of headstones and apologized to the 20,000 fallen Americans who had been laid to rest far from home. He was quoted as saying, “All over the world our soldiers sleep beneath the crosses. It is a challenge to us – all allied nations – to ensure that they do not and have not died in vain.”

Fast forward to Memorial Day 2022, and the familiar voices of brothers in arms begin to call one another on the phone. People usually think of reconnecting with former military buddies as a joyous happening. However, for this Memorial Day, the topic of conversation was not an armistice, a promotion, or even a daughter’s wedding or new addition to a home, it was about the latest in a string of suicides that silence the voice of our brothers but brought renewed connections from other familiar voices. One desperately said, “Sir, I needed to call someone who could understand this.”

Everyone in the greatest generation understood war. At home they experienced rationing, school children collected scrap, and women took up factory jobs while overseas the troops endured combat and were witness to some of the largest and most brutal atrocities in the modern age. When the war was over, they followed the lead of Lt. Gen Truscott and committed their lives to ensure that they “have not died in vain.” The shared sacrifice of a generation united them and helped them solve tough problems.

In subsequent wars, such as the Korean and Vietnam era, veterans did not experience the same level of understanding and thus either turned their voice inward or used their voice to fight for one another on subjects that varied from Agent Orange, PTSD, and other once-silent conditions.

The War on Terror introduced a unique time in our nation’s collective history as acts of war played out in real-time on our media devices. Although only one percent of Americans served post 9/11, it seems 100 percent of the country used their voice to express their opinions of this shared history as it unfolded.

For Korea and Vietnam veterans, war was not a shared experience and therefore various voices having various opinions helped further the national conversation regarding the treatment of veterans leading to safer and more thoughtful approaches. Unlike the veterans of Korea and Vietnam, the veterans of the last several decades did not return home to the voices of dissent that could be addressed directly, instead, they returned to a polite nation that creates media of dissent and very little opportunity for honest, open dialog.

This new era of media, learning, and personal discussions bring rise to the question, “Do people really remember why we hold our veterans in a place of honor?” For years, voices saying meaningless phrases like “the enemy gets a vote” or “there’s nothing you could have done” were meant to comfort those of us who have held the heavy responsibility of leading troops in combat. However, many people seem to lack the understanding that our hearts have been forever scarred by the invisible wounds of war, scarred by guilt and grief, and by the longing for forgiveness that will never come. Even if forgiveness was offered, it would be hard to accept as no mere words can undo a life experience and because of this, we often feel isolated, misunderstood, and undervalued therefore our voices remain silent.

As conversations with the voice on the other end of the phone come to its inevitable conclusion, I am reminded that to remain silent is a betrayal of my obligation to those who made the ultimate sacrifice. As Horace Bushnell once said, the best thing for us to do is to remember “what they have put it on us to do for the dear common country to which they sold their life.” As we gather as one nation this Memorial Day, my hope is that instead of directing shallow words of gratitude at each other, we do as Lt. Gen. Truscott did and direct our gratitude directly towards those who made the ultimate sacrifice. In both our words and actions, let us all commit ourselves to serve the country to which they gave their lives.

While there is still much work to be done, the generation of veterans from this century have access to vast resources, life-saving technology, and increased information. This same generation of veterans is just now starting to define our post-service legacy and like our grandparents, return home with a deep commitment to service, and a desire to address the many problems that we face.

One such issue needing to be addressed is helping veterans find purpose in their post-service lives. Truscott’s apology to the dead are not empty words, but a strong voice reminding us that we have an obligation to choose resilience and purpose when faced with guilt or grief. As an example, Gold Star Families, who have experienced tremendous loss, continue to serve their communities to maintain the legacy of the loved one they lost. I often recall a colleague of mine responding to the question “why do you do so much to help veterans?” he simply held up his finger, choking back tears he responded, “for the one I couldn’t save.” By choosing to use his voice to advocate for other veterans, he not only helped them find their purpose – he found his own.

It’s often said that for those who have served “every day is Memorial Day,” a traditionally silent observance in the veteran’s mind that can best be described as an impossible trinity made up of an overwhelming sense of guilt, grief, and grit. Usually, a moment of silence on this day is a welcomed and solemn way to honor the voices from our past, but for myself, after losing three former soldiers to suicide in the past few months, silence is no longer an option and the freedom to use our voice is the greatest gift that our veterans have to offer this Memorial Day.

Joseph Reagan is the Director of Military and Veterans Outreach for Wreaths Across America. He has almost 20 years experience working with leaders within government, nonprofit, and Fortune 500 companies to develop sustainable strategies supporting National Security, and Veterans’ Health. He served eight years on active duty as an officer in the U.S. Army including two tours to Afghanistan with the 10th Mountain Division. He is the recipient of multiple awards and decorations including the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart.

To view resources for service members, veterans, and their families, please visit learn.wreathsacrossamerica.org/veteranresources.