Belleveue Cemetery
Lawrence City Councilor Marc Laplante
Distinguished guests, elected officials, organizers, veterans, and fellow citizens, thank you for the opportunity to be here today. It is my honor to say a few words on this Memorial Day.
Two years ago, my family went on a vacation to France. It was during our visit at Aisne-Marne American Cemetery, the famous Belleau Wood battle site, that we met with a national television station and a local reporter who covered our visit. I learned that Memorial Day was a big day for many French communities, and a time when the French people attended parades and ceremonies to remember the sacrifices made by the American military to free them in WW1 and WW2. That impressed me, but what impacted me more was learning that French schools regularly bring their students to the American cemeteries to teach them that the price for their liberty and freedom was paid by the individuals buried in these cemeteries. Powerful stuff.
In the last 2 years we have visited Europe 3 times, and visited 7 American cemeteries to remember the Lawrence residents who never made it back home. We placed Lawrence flags at 63 gravesites, and wreaths at the walls that listed the 11 Lawrence residents who went missing. In France we visited the American cemeteries at Aisne-Marne, Oise-Aisne, Meuse-Argonne, St. Mihiel, and Normandy; in Italy we visited the Sicily-Rome American cemetery; and we visited the Luxembourg American cemetery in Luxembourg city. I will grant you that the visits were a bit unique. Not everyone has the ability to take these trips. However, we are very fortunate and it was our honor to do so.
While you may never have the opportunity to visit the American cemeteries overseas, I want to thank you for attending today’s Memorial Day ceremony. Today we remember that the price for freedom and liberty is quite high and paid by the bloodshed by millions of residents who fought for us.
In Lawrence, by my best count, 778 Lawrence residents died in our country’s wars.
225 Civil War
1 Spanish American War
183 WW1
322 WW2
27 Korean War
18 Vietnam War
2 Iraq war
I believe I was asked to speak today because of my recent focus on the Lawrence WW1 veterans who died in that war. Many have names that we recognize today, but we don’t associate with the Great War. Names like Frank Hayden, James Schofield of the Hayden Schofield Playstead, Edmund Costello of Costello Park, Phillip O’Connell of O’Connell Park, Alexander Bruce of Bruce Square, and Francis Leahy of the Leahy School. In fact the project I worked on was created so that we would know their stories.
The city council dedicated 36 bridges, squares, parks, and buildings after soldiers who died in the war. WW1 was originally called “The war to end all wars,” and “the great war.” This war captivated every part of our country. Every headline in the Eagle Tribune gave updates on the war and the American involvement. Letters from soldiers were printed daily. The war consumed our city with nearly 6000 called to be part of the military. Every resident knew someone who was in the fight. This was big. Really big. And when Armistice Day arrived on November 11, 1918 our city celebrated with parades and parties. However, we have forgotten them. As a city we have forgotten. In 1927, the city built a stadium to honor its WW1 veterans. Over time, the stadium that was once built to remember those who fought in 1917 and 1918 morphed into a stadium to honor and remember all veterans. There is a memorial for every other war where Lawrence residents fought, but not a single memorial solely dedicated for WW1 veterans. I don’t believe the change of purpose for the Veterans Stadium was done with malice or ill intent. We just forgot over the years. We also forgot three WW1 soldiers that the city council decided to honor. Today, though, we will remember them. First, in 1936, the City Council named a swimming pool after Arthur Vaudreuil who, after he fought in the Mexican American War, re-enlisted to fight in Europe in WW1. He was killed in action. The pool that was built near the current Guilmette School, was demolished in 1981. There was no replacement memorial to honor Vaudreuil after the pool was demolished. Next, you can’t drive over the entire Casey Bridge without crossing the Maes Bridge and the Mann Bridge. The two small bridges that connect to the Casey bridge cross the north and the south canals and were dedicated to Edmond Maes and Henry Mann.
These two soldiers were killed in combat in 1918. Edmond Maes came here from France and worked in the mills, but was drafted to serve in the military and fought in the American army when he was killed in his native France. Henry Mann was born in Boston, and his parents died when he was a young boy. He lived most of his life with his aunt and uncle on Parker St before he enlisted on the day that America entered the war and was then killed in action. I invite you take a moment, perhaps today, to watch the videos narrated by many people who you probably know, who tell the stories of the 36 WW1 soldiers who lost their lives during the war and were recognized by the City.
Today in attendance we thank Dave Abdoo who narrated Arthur Vaudreuil’s segment, Nick Kolofoles who narrated John Mullaney’s segment on Mullaney Park, Frank Moran who narrated Jim Ryan’s segment on Ryan Square, Marcos Devers who narrated Romeo Depatie’s segment on Depatie Square, Dan Rivera who narrated Patrick Coyne’s segment on Coyne Park, Eileen Bernal who narrated Michael Howard’s segment on the Howard Playstead, Susan Fink who narrated Phillip O’Connell’s segment on O’Connell Park, Roger Twomey who narrated Frank Rowell’s segment on Rowell Park. We also have other notable narrators who are not present today: Francisco Urena, the secretary of veterans’ affairs who narrated Alexander Bruce’s segment on Bruce Square, Governor Charlie Baker who narrated Henry Mann’s segment on the Mann Bridge, and NBA Hall of Famer Dominque Wilkins and Atlanta Hawks radio voice, who is a native Lawrencian, Steve Holman, who narrated James Schofield’s segment on the Hayden-Schofield Playstead. Steve Holman is also the great nephew of the previously mentioned Frank Rowell. I will also take this time to thank my friends at the Lawrence History Center, Susan Grabsky and Amita Kiely, Cable Access guy Jim Ross, Louise Sandberg of the Lawrence Public Library and my sons Evan, Max and Alex for helping with the filming and my wife Sue who helped with editing.
As I end these remarks I am reminded of a quote by one of the city’s great leaders, Edward Sirois. Sirois fought in the war, returned home to lead a life of public service as a veterans’ service officer and state representative, and then fought in the Burma theater during WW2 as a colonel and was promoted to major general of the Massachusetts National Guard after the war. His legacy of public service continued after he died in 1968 with his grandson, Dave Reilly, serving a lifetime on the Lawrence fire department and his great grand-daughter, Kate Reilly, as the current acting chief of staff for Mayor Dan Rivera. Sirois wrote this about his comrades in his 1919 book, Smashing through the World War with fighting battery C.
Sirois wrote: “They died that democracy might triumph over autocracy. May their memory and deeds be ever preserved.”
Thank you very much for being here today. Let’s always remember and never forget those who sacrificed and died for our country. Thank you.
