Memorial Day section 2013

Memorial Day in Addison County, May 23, 2013 H PAGE 1

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Addison County Independent presents

in Addison CountyMemorial Day

Local parades honor those who gave their all ADDISON COUNTY — The last weekend in May is

always a big one for anyone who likes to listen to brass bands play, wonder at the precision driving of Shriners in pint-size vehicles, and watch a procession of friends and neighbors march past holding banners and waving. This year should be no exception.

Six Addison County towns will host Memorial Day parades this weekend.

Orwell kicks off local paradesAs is traditional, the first local parade of the weekend

will take place in the beaucolic village of Orwell. The Town of Orwell will host its 40th Memorial Day Parade and Celebration starting at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, May 26, on the village green.

The parade will follow its traditional route, beginning on North Orwell Road and running east to Main Street before heading onto Church Street, circling Roberts Avenue, and then heading back west on Main Street.

The theme for this year’s parade is “250 Years of Memories,” in honor of the 250th anniversary of the granting of Orwell’s town charter (the actual anniversary is Aug. 18). The grand marshals for this celebration will be Bernard Parent and Bob Hall, who are original founding members of the Orwell Fire Department.

Organizers said this year they will have the Catamount Pipe Band and the Seth Warner Mount Independence Fife

and Drum Corps for noteworthy bands. They will also have the crowd favorite Cairo mini cars, and Veterans from many local American Legion posts, as well as representatives of civic groups.

Walker James will act as master of ceremonies at the Memorial Ceremony on the green immediately following the parade.

Middlebury hosts traditional celebrationMiddlebury’s Memorial Day festivities will revolve

around its annual parade, which will begin forming at 8 a.m. in the parking area of Middlebury College’s Mahaney Center for the Arts off South Main Street.

The parade will step off at 9 a.m. sharp. The parade will feature several Middlebury-area school bands, numerous firetrucks, and, of course, a color guard.

Marchers will follow its traditional route north on Main Street, around the green onto Pleasant Street in front of the Congregational Church of Middlebury and in front of the Middlebury Inn. The parade concludes at the Soldiers’ Monument on Merchants Row, where G. Kenneth Perine, president of the National Bank of Middlebury will deliver a speech after the parade. That speech, honoring fallen servicemen and women and those still serving, will be delivered from the steps of the Town Hall Theater off Merchants Row.

Want to join the fun? To participate in the parade, which (See Parades, Page 2)

Editor’s note: This piece was provided by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Memorial Day is a day for remembering and honoring military personnel who died in the service of their country, particularly those who died in battle or as a result of wounds sustained in battle.

On May 5, 1864, three years after the Civil War ended, the head of an organization of Union veterans — the Grand Army of the Republic or GAR — established Decoration Day as a time for the nation to decorate the graves of the war dead with flowers. Maj. Gen. John A. Logan declared that Decoration Day should be observed on May 30. It is believed that date was chosen because flowers would be in bloom all over the country.

The first large observance was held that year at Arlington National Cemetery, across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C.

The ceremonies centered around the mourning-draped veranda of the Arlington mansion, once the home of Gen. Robert E. Lee. Various Washington officials, including Gen. and Mrs. Ulysses S. Grant, presided over the ceremonies. After speeches, children from the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Orphan Home and members of the GAR made their way through the

Origins of Memorial Day

(See Origins, Page 4)

A GIANT AMERICAN flag slowly moves through downtown Vergennes during last year’s Memorial Day parade.

Independent file photo/Trent Campbell

PAGE 2 H Memorial Day in Addison County, May 23, 2013


is coordinated by Post 27 of the American Legion, call Post 27 at 388-9311 and let them know what type of entry you have (walkers, float, etc.) and what your entry represents. That is all there is to it, other than to meet in the Middlebury College parking lot off of South Street on Porter Field Road between 8 and 8:20 a.m. on parade day.

Fire Dept. Open HouseThe Middlebury Fire Department is inviting

the public to an open house at Station No. 1 on

Seymour Street. The station will be open to the public for two hours immediately following the Memorial Day Parade and ceremony at the Soldiers Monument.

The members of the Fire Department are looking forward to showing everyone the new addition and upgrades.

Brandon & Hancock paradesParades in Brandon and Hancock are up

next; both are set to begin at 10 a.m.Brandon’s parade lineup will begin at 9:30

a.m. at the Brandon Post Office. The parade

sets in motion at 10 a.m. and heads up Conant Square and Center Street to the bandstand in Central Park.

There, a remembrance ceremony at the bandstand is planned, to be followed by the flower girl ceremony at the Civil War Monument across the street. Always a highlight, girls from Neshobe Elementary dressed in white walk to the monumnet and lay flowers in a poignant ceremony.

Anyone who wishes to take part in the Brandon Memorial Day parade is asked to contact Jean Lamarre at 247-8179.

Hancock’s parade begins at the veterans memorial, proceeds to the town library on Route 125. From there, it heads east to Route 100 and turns south to the town cemetery, where there will be a ceremony. Selectman Jack Ross said the library will hold a bake sale beginning at 9 p.m. The Hancock Town Pride Committee will be distributing sunflower seedlings that they hope will be planted around town to give Hancock a sunflower theme this summer.

Bristol features Guard officerBristol American Legion Post Commander

Ron LaRose refers to the Memorial Day festivities as a “small town parade.” The charming event begins with parade marchers stepping off from the intersection of West Street and the entrance to Mount Abraham Union High School at 1 p.m. The will proceed eastward on West Street to the village green, where Legion Post 19 will host its traditional Memorial Day Ceremony.

Lt. Col. Randall Gates of the Vermont Army

National Guard (see biographical sketch, Page 4) will be the guest speaker at the Bristol event.

Vergennes blowout celebration

Vergennes’ Memorial Day parade is one of the largest and best attended in Vermont.

With the theme of “Honor and Remember,“ the Vergennes Memorial Day Parade and Ceremony, is in its final preparatory stages. The parade will step off from Vergennes Union High School at 11 a.m., proceed up Monkton Road and turn onto Main Street heading toward Vergennes City Park and then along several side streets before concluding back at the park.

A broad array of floats, marching bands, color guards, groups and vehicles will cover the two-mile route in front of the thousands of spectators who annually swell the Little

Parades(Continued from Page 1)

(See Celebrations, Page 5)

VT. NATIONAL GUARD BRIGADIER GEN. BRIAN CARPENTER

THE MARY HOGAN Elementary School marching band stops to play a song in front of the Battell Block in downtown Middlebury.




Lt. Cmdr. Christopher P.J. Cousino, currently serving in Afghanistan

– Thank you and your comrades for your service and to all

who are serving and also to all our veterans who have served

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ACTR buses, office closed for Memorial Day, May 27

MIDDLEBURY — In recognition of Memorial Day, Addison County Transit Resources (ACTR) will be closed Monday, May 27. There will be no bus service and ACTR’s administrative offices will be closed. This applies to the Tri-Town Bristol, Tri-Town Vergennes,

Middlebury Shuttle, Snow Bowl Shuttle, Burlington LINK, 116 Commuter and Rutland Connector. Normal service resumes Tuesday, May 28.

For more details and bus schedule information, call ACTR at 388-1946 or visit www.actr-vt.org.

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cemetery, strewing flowers on both Union and Confederate graves, reciting prayers and singing hymns.

Local springtime tributes to the Civil War dead already had been held in various places. One of the first occurred in Columbus, Miss., April 25, 1866, when a group of women visited a cemetery to decorate the graves of Confederate soldiers who had fallen in battle at Shiloh. Nearby were the graves of Union soldiers, neglected because they were the enemy. Disturbed at the sight of the bare graves, the women placed some of their flowers on those graves, as well.

Today, cities in the North and the South claim to be the birthplace of Memorial Day in 1866. Both Macon and Columbus, Ga., claim the title, as well as Richmond, Va. The village of Boalsburg, Pa., claims it began there two years earlier. A stone in a Carbondale, Ill., cemetery carries the statement that the first Decoration Day ceremony took place there on April 29, 1866. Carbondale was the wartime home of Gen. Logan. Approximately 25 places have

been named in connection with the origin of Memorial Day, many of them in the South where most of the war dead were buried.

In 1966, Congress and President Lyndon Johnson declared Waterloo, N.Y., the “birthplace” of Memorial Day. There, a ceremony on May 5, 1866, honored local veterans who had fought in the Civil War. Businesses closed and residents flew flags at half-staff. Supporters of Waterloo’s claim say earlier observances in other places were either informal, not community-wide or one-time events.

By the end of the 19th century, Memorial Day ceremonies were being held on May 30 throughout the nation. State legislatures passed proclamations designating the day, and the Army and Navy adopted regulations for proper observance at their facilities.

It was not until after World War I, however, that the day was expanded to honor those who have died in all American wars. In 1971, Memorial Day was declared a national holiday by an act of Congress, though it is still often called Decoration Day. It was then also placed on the last

Monday in May, as were some other federal holidays.

To ensure the sacrifices of America ’s fallen heroes are never forgotten, in December 2000, the U.S. Congress passed and the president signed into law “The National Moment of Remembrance Act,” P.L. 106-579, creating the White House Commission on the National Moment of Remembrance. The commission’s charter is to “encourage the people of the United States to give something back to their country, which provides them so much freedom and opportunity” by encouraging and coordinating commemorations in the United States of Memorial Day and the National Moment of Remembrance.

The National Moment of Remembrance encourages all Americans to pause wherever they are at 3 p.m. local time on Memorial Day for a minute of silence to remember and honor those who have died in service to the nation. As Moment of Remembrance founder Carmella LaSpada states: “It’s a way we can all help put the memorial back in Memorial Day.”

Editor’s note: Lt. Col. Randall Gates of the Vermont Army National Guard will speak at the Memorial Day festivities in Bristol on Monday afternoon. Here is a brief biography.

Lt. Col. Gates began his military career in 1983 when he enlisted in the U.S. Army. Following 10 years of enlisted service, he received his commission in the U.S. Corps of Engineers from the California military in 1993. He has served as a platoon leader, executive officer, company commander with four separate assignments and in various staff officer positions.

The Ferrisburgh resident is currently the Training and Plans Officer for the Operations Division of the Vermont Army National Guard and serves as a liaison officer to the Vermont Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security during state emergencies.

Lt. Col. Gates has successfully completed missions in Honduras, Macedonia, Senegal and two one-year tours in Afghanistan. In 2003-2004 he was an embedded engineer trainer for a newly formed Afghan National Army Engineer Company. In 2009-2010, Gates served as a chief planning officer for the International Security Assistance Force Joint Command during Vermont’s largest deployment of forces since World War II. His superiors said he was instrumental in developing the capacity and capability of the Afghan National Police and Afghan National Army through the Vermont-designed Afghan National Security Forces Development Assistance Bureau.

Among Gates’ 21 service awards are the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Army Meritorious Service Medal (three times), the Joint Service Commendation Medal, the Army Commendation Medal (three times) and the Humanitarian Service Medal and the Afghan Campaign Medal.

He has been awarded the Order of the de Fleury Medal from the United States Corps of Engineers and the Veteran’s Champion Award from the U.S. Small Business Administration.

Gates holds a Bachelor’s Degree in United States History from Keene State College in New Hampshire and a Master’s Degree in Curriculum from the State University of California, Hayward. He lives in North Ferrisburgh with his wife Lou, his son Shea and his daughter Munro. He is active in the North Ferrisburgh United Methodist Church and is currently the Chair of the Pastor-Parish Relations Committee. In July he will help lead a Church Mission Trip for the Church Youth Group and for people still recovering from Hurricane Irene.

Origins(Continued from Page 1)

LT. COL. RANDALL GATES

Lt. Col. Gates to be speaker at Bristol’s Memorial celebration

Memorial Day Parade Times

Sunday, May 26

Orwell 1:30 p.m.

Monday, May 27

Brandon 10 a.m.

Bristol 1 p.m.

Hancock 10 a.m.

Middlebury 9 a.m.

Vergennes 11 a.m.

CROWDS LINE MAIN Street to watch last year’s Memorial Day parade in downtown Middlebury.




City’s population for the event. Their sponsors include local schools, scouts, civic organizations, veterans groups, media outlets, political organizations and individuals.

Leading the parade this year as parade marshals will be a group of local World War II veterans representing all members of “The Greatest Generation.” From a reviewing stand in front of City Park, Legion Auxiliary President Martha DeGraaf will announce the participating groups and individuals as they pass by. Among these, in addition to the parade marshals, will be guest speaker Brig. Gen. Brian Carpenter of the Vermont Army National Guard, and American Legion Auxiliary Department of Vermont Past

President Pam Norton. Accompanying Norton will be this year’s Poppy Girls, Mallory Brace and Octavia Devine of Ferrisburgh.

Following the parade, American Legion Post 14 member John Mitchell will take the podium as master of ceremonies on the bandstand in the park. The VUHS Band under the direction of Susan O’Daniel will play the National Anthem prior to an invocation by the Rev. Phillip Westra, pastor of Champlain Valley Christian Reformed Church in Vergennes. Vergennes Mayor Bill Benton will deliver greetings from the host city and recognize state and local dignitaries and office holders. It is anticipated that among these will be Gov. Peter Shumlin and U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders.

Retired Navy Petty Officer First Class

Spencer Norton will lay a wreath at the monument to Commodore Thomas MacDonough, a hero of the Battle of Plattsburg on Lake Champlain during the War of 1812. Bailey Bissonette of Addison will recite “In Flanders Field.” She is the daughter of Henry and Michelle Bissonette. Following that, Stephanie Anderson, daughter of Aldor and Margaret Anderson, also of Addison, will recite Lincoln’s “Gettysburg Address.” Both are students at VUHS. Their recitations will be interspersed with musical selections by the VUHS Band.

Brig. Gen. Carpenter, the owner and president of Champlain Valley Equipment in Middlebury, served on active duty with

the U.S. Army for nine years following his graduation from college in 1984 and has been in the National Guard since his release from active duty. He was promoted to Brigadier General in 2011.

Following his address, a unit of the Vermont National Guard will conduct a 21-gun salute in honor of those who gave their lives during our nation’s wars and conflicts. Buglers and Vergennes residents Matteo Palmer and K.C. Ambrose of the VUHS band will sound taps. The ceremonies will conclude with benediction offered by Pastor Westra and the playing of “America the Beautiful” by the VUHS band.

Following the parade, all are cordially invited to the 50th annual chicken barbecue

Celebrations(Continued from Page 2)

With great appreciation & gratitude to:

Bristol American Legion, Post #19Middlebury American Legion, Post #27Vergennes American Legion, Post #14

From the Addision County Legion BaseballPlayers and Coaches ~ past & present

A YOUNG SPECTATOR protects his ears from the loud sounds of the Memorial Day parade in Vergennes last year.


MINI MONSTER TRUCKS pass through downtown Vergennes during last year’s parade.Independent file photo/Trent Campbell



Bristol American Legion, Inc. Post 19

Salutes all Veterans-those that served in the pastand those currently serving.

Brick forms for the

memorialare still

available.

The BristolAmerican

Legion Post 19

meets at 7pm the 4th

Wednesday of every month.

Sanderson – Ducharme Funeral HomeLocally owned and operated

We Honor and Remember All Who Have Served

117 South Main Street • Middlebury • 388-2311

388-3014213 EXCHANGE STREETMIDDLEBURY, VT 0 575 3



Saluting our Veterans

Middlebury American Legion49 Wilson Rd., P.O. Box 28, Middlebury, Vt. 05753 • 802-388-9311 • [email protected]

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Memorial Day section 2013