The Washburn Area Veterans Memorial unveiled a tribute to Vietnam soldiers on Saturday, drawing the largest crowd it’s seen in recent years.
The dedication of a new addition to the park has become a tradition at the town’s annual August Festival.
This year’s project, a cast bronze Vietnam soldier, is the most expensive to date at $23,000 and is the park’s first specifically to honor those who served in Vietnam. The Washburn Rotary Club, which organizes the festival, led fundraising.
About 200 people crowded streets, lawns and the park as retired U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Larry Harrison, who has spearheaded the park’s projects, led an hourlong ceremony that included a color guard with the County Composite Squadron Civil Air Patrol, flag raisings, a wreath laying and 21-gun salute.
“The Vietnam soldier is known as the bravest generation,” Harrison said.
From 1965 to 1973, more than 2.7 million U.S servicemen and women served in Vietnam. More than 300,000 were wounded and 58,479 were killed, he said. Of those, 342 were from Maine.
Harrison recalled watching news of the Vietnam war with Walter Cronkite, with each day’s casualties shown on the screen. He enlisted in 1972 and first went to Travis Air Force Base in California. Assigned to the flight line, he saw solemn moments as soldiers’ remains came home and joyful times when service members united with family.
“Following the Tet offensive of 1968, the U.S public turned against our military, and these young men and women were never given a welcome home,” Harrison said. “Now we say thank you and welcome home.”
The bronze Vietnam soldier statue arrived last week in Washburn, and before Saturday’s ceremony was veiled in green camouflage netting. More than 55 donors brought the project to within $800 of completion, Harrison said.
While the tribute honors all Vietnam veterans, it was dedicated to the memory of two of Aroostook County’s 38 soldiers killed in the conflict: Dellwyn Fitch of Perham and Stuart Woodman of Washburn.
John Churchill and Dale Lavway uncovered the statue, while Kermit Fuller and Nelson Bouchard unveiled the accompanying information board. All are local veterans.
Scouts Luke Gordon and Paul Coy of Washburn’s Troop 177 had completed Eagle Scout service projects at the park. As the Vietnam tribute was unveiled, Gordon raised two new flags, one to recognize Vietnam veterans and the other honoring military dogs at the former Loring Air Force Base, set near last year’s bronze German shepherd and bricks with the names of handlers and their dogs.
Coy installed a stone walled flower garden around another flagpole installation, which hold flags representing the five military service branches.
After the statue’s unveiling, Gordon read the names of all 38 Aroostook County soldiers who died in the Vietnam War, while Coy rang a bell after each name.
Patriot Guard Riders of Maine, a partner in Wreaths Across America, laid a wreath at the new statue. Maine State Captain Mike Edgecomb talked about the Washburn park’s mission to remember veterans — the fallen and those who came home.
“There’s an old saying that a person dies twice: the first time when their last breath leaves their body, and the second time when their name is spoken for the last time,” Edgecomb said. “Our goal is for every veteran never to have their name spoken for the last time.”
Scouts of Washburn’s Troop 177 presented Vietnam veterans with service pins.
Members of the Civil Air Patrol’s new honor guard ceremonially folded casket flags for Fitch and Woodman.
The Washburn Rotary Club also dedicated 25 new additions to its memorial brickyard, which now contains 366 bricks. Veterans Greg Page and Kathy Philbrook read the names of the newly honored.
The festival weekend also included the annual Washburn alumni banquet on Friday, Aug. 14, along with a hot dog roast, music and a glow-in-the-dark walk at the Mill Pond Park.
A crowd lined Main Street for the annual parade on Saturday morning, which featured the August Festival king and queen, Deryle and Vicki Sponberg, and parade grand marshal James “Chico” Hernandez.
Correction: An earlier version of the story misstated Larry Harrison’s rank.
