Dedicated to veterans

Four years of work by volunteers culminates in a ceremony for a new monument in Mill Creek Park

Metalsmith Jac Ouellette, of Anvil Jack Studios,
supervises installation of the “eternal flame”
she built for the new South Portland Veterans
Monument, shortly before its installation
in Mill Creed Park on Saturday. Helping her
are soldiers from Westbrook’s 262^nd Engineering
Battalion, who delivered the stone, Sgt. Michael
Merrill, left, and Spec. Gardner LaJoie.

South Portland has paid a high price in the military actions that have been ongoing since 9/11, as high as any community in Maine. Officially, four local soldiers have died in the ongoing wars – Marine Pfc. Angel Rosa (killed Mar. 13, 2007, age 21), Army Sgt. Jason W. Swiger (March 25, 2007, age 24), Army Spec. Justin L. Buxbaum (May 26, 2008, age 23) and Army Sgt. Joshua J. Kirk (Oct. 3, 2009, age 30).

It was partly with these men in mind that, four years ago, a group of South Portland residents began to hang yellow ribbons on the telephone pole along Broadway. The unexpected result was a lot of fuss over ribbons, with the city ultimately ruling that it could not allow the makeshift memorials, no matter how touching the sentiment.

However, the city also broached a compromise – if those making the most noise about the ribbons would raise $20,000, the city would match it and provide a place for a permanent memorial.

On Saturday, after four years of hard work in both planning and fundraising, that monument was delivered to Mill Creek Park by soldiers of the 262^nd Engineering Battalion in Westbrook, arriving at noon with an escort of more than 100 bikers from groups including Combat Veterans, the Patriot Guard and Rolling Thunder.

Dozens of people passed in and out of the citizens group that made the monument possible. But a handful stuck with the project the entire time, including Rosemarie West, Kevin Battle, Brian Hanlon, Lee Harvey and Dan Harkin.

To a person, the volunteers stress that the new monument is not a memorial. It is dedicated to all who served in the military, no matter which branch, whether they served on the front lines or the scullery line, in war time or peace, be they living or dead, and no matter if they died heroically, accidentally or of self-inflicted wounds.

“This is a thank-you message to everybody who served, no matter how or when they served, because it is their service which allows us to live the lives we get to live,” said Battle, a longtime South Portland police officer.

The monument was designed and built by local artists, with the base and overall design done by framer and art preservationist Stephen Popp, the plaques to each service branch made by Richardson Monument, and the “eternal flame” at the top made by Jac Ouellette, a metalsmith and Maine College of Art board member.

“It was a very meaningful project to me,” said Ouellette. “This is my community, and so many people spent so much time on this project. What an honor to have a piece associated with our service members that I can drive by and see every single day.”

During his dedication ceremony remarks, Hanlon noted that, when Mill Creek Park was set aside as open space after World War II, the intent was to name it Veterans Park.

“Unfortunately, that never happened,” he said, “So, this area that the monument sits on will forever be known as Veterans Green.”

Roughly 400 people attended Saturday’s unveiling of the service monument, as it was formally accepted by Mayor Rosemarie De Angelis, who broke down in tears during one of the days more touching moments, when Bernadette Manley, a military mother chosen to lay the first wreath, received a call from her son in Afghanistan.

“I’ve had such good boys,” Manley told the crowd, “but I’ve always said, their mother was their first drill sergeant.”

There has been some controversy over the placement of the service monument. It was originally meant to accompany the Maine Military Museum, which has since moved to a spot beside the Veterans of Foreign Wars hall on Peary Terrace. At recent meetings, the City Council has fielded complaints that the monument has been shunted to little used section of the park. However, West said, this is as it should be.

“There are a lot of plans to make this area a destination,” she said, “but we also didn’t want this in the middle of the park, because those who come here, we think, will want time for quiet reflection.”

A closer look

Fundraising for the new Veterans Monument in Mill Creek Park, South Portland, continues, with hopes of filling out the monument site with granite curbing, benches, walking paths to Broadway and across the creek to the larger part of the park and a handicapped-parking area.

A project also is under way to pay for those improvements by selling paving stones, which can be inscribed with the name of a service member. 

For more information, see www.servicemonument.com.