Memorial Day Ceremonies, Cemetery Services, Parade, Park Ceremony and POW/MIA Chair Dedication

CEMETERY SERVICES RENDERED

On Monday, May 26, Memorial Day services began when the Middleboro Honor Guard gathered at Simeon L. Nickerson Post 64 American Legion at 6:15 a.m. The group then was transported to the cemeteries in town to render honors.
Cemeteries were visited and memorial ceremonies were rendered. The Honor Guard firing squad and flag detail and respective Chaplains of the American Legion, VFW, DAV and Auxiliaries participated. St.Mary’s, Church of the Green, Nemasket Hill, and the Central cemetery were visited.
A breakfast was served at the VFW for the participants after the cemetery services.
Following breakfast, a special service was rendered at approximately 8:30 a.m. at the Nemasket River on Wareham Street to remember those who served and died at sea.

****************************************** PARADE

Members of the Middleboro Veterans Council parade sub-committee, conducted the Memorial Day parade and ceremony. The Council is comprised of members of Simeon L. Nickerson Post 64 American Legion; Veterans of Foreign Wars John Glass, Jr., Post 2188; Disabled American Veterans Corporal William F. Reardon Chapter 57 of Taunton; and, the Oak Point Veterans Association.
The parade, which stepped off at 10 a.m., was led by a cruiser of the Middleboro Police Department and followed by the tower ladder truck of the Middleboro Fire Department under the command of Fire Chief Lance M. Benjamino.
Traveling on the tower platform at the invite of Chief Benjamino were three recently crowned beauty queens: Courtney Adelman, Miss Massachusetts Outstanding Teen; Kira Kopacz, Miss Middleboro of 2014; and Maude Gorman, who gained the title of Miss Blue Hills. All three young ladies were from the Burt Wood School of Performing Arts.
Members of the Middleboro Veterans Council Honor Guard headed the rest of the parade. It was followed by Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts of Troop and Pack 64, which is sponsored by the Simeon L. Nickerson American Legion Post 64.
Vehicles representing the D.A.V. and Korean War Veterans followed.
Members of Middleboro’s High School band, led by band director Justin Pittsley, stepped off in front of the Grand Marshalls’ transportation of a Rolls Royce convertible. The siblings of William Mark Smith, a Missing In Action casualty of the Vietnam War, served as Grand Marshalls.
Twenty members of Rolling Thunder motorcycle veterans of Massachusetts, Chapter 1 acted as escorts for the Grand Marshalls.
The motorcycle riders were followed by various retired military vehicles and convertibles transporting older veterans. A float depicting the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers was attended by two Marines, Ron Matthews and George Gamache, followed. Several antique vehicles traveled behind the float.
Band members of Middleboro’s Junior High School led the second half of the parade. Over a hundred Boy, Cub, Girl scouts and Brownies with their leaders marched behind the band.
Twin sisters Meghan and Ceal Lapointe participated with Meghan’s appendix quarter horse Kenshin at the rear of the parade. Meghan wore an outfit of patriotic colors of red, white and blue. Ceal assisted with guiding and calming Kenshin as it was only the animal’s second parade.
The parade returned to the Town Hall where Memorial Day Ceremonies were conducted.

********************************************PARK CEREMONY

Legionnaire Paul Kreitzberg of Post 64, who handled the sound system, introduced Wayne Packard, Commander of the Middleboro Veterans Council, as the Master of Ceremonies. Packard in turn introduced members of the William M. Smith family, who served as Grand Marshalls.
The Reverend Laird Ballard of the New Life Baptist Church opened the ceremony with an invocation. It was followed by the posting of colors with a “call to colors” played by Justin Pittsley. The Pledge of allegiance was led by the Smith family. Courtney Adelman, Miss Massachusetts Oustanding Teen, sang the National Anthem.
Service flags were individually displayed and each service was represented by their respective songs, which were played by the Middleboro High School band. The song God Bless the USA was sung by Courtney Adelman as the POW/ MIA flag and the State flag were presented.
The poem “In Flanders Fields” was read by Paul Kreitzberg.
Commander Packard turned the next segment of the program over to Bob Lessard, historian for the Simeon L. Nickerson American Legion Post 64.
Lessard introduced individually the siblings of William M. Smith, who served as the Grand Marshalls. They were: Army Captain and Vietnam War veteran Bob Smith and his brother Richard…and…sisters Shirley Wood and Susan Burns. William’s third sister was unable to attend the ceremony. Sitting in the audience were over 15 other members of the Smith family, who were asked to stand in recognition.
A biographical description of William was then read to the audience by Bob Lessard.
“William Smith was one of 15 Middleboro residents who perished during the Vietnam War and Era while serving our country. He’s our only Middleboro soldier from that war who hasn’t returned home,” Lessard reported.

“He was 21 when he was serving as a Staff Sergeant with the Army in Vietnam and disappeared while on patrol. He was serving with Company B, 3rd Battalion, 8th Infantry, 4th Infantry Division when he was reported “Missing In Action” on March 3, 1969.

A report stated that Smith, while with his unit about 25 miles east of the city of Kontum, disappeared after falling down an embankment.

It was later learned that he had been captured by the enemy.

Interviews with former prisoners in the Spring of 1973 revealed that William had died while on a trail to North Vietnam.

Three years after the incident, the U.S. government declared him “dead by hostile actions.”

His body was never found. He was the son of Mr. and Mrs. Richard Smith of 2 Starrett Avenue.

A 1967 graduate of Middleboro’s Memorial High School, the class yearbook, which includes his picture, states, “Bill likes physical education and plans to be a future teacher in that area.”

William Mark Smith’s name is listed on panel 30W-line 32 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington and is also remembered on our main monument and the Vietnam casualty marker in our Middleboro Veterans Memorial Park.”

*****************************************POW/MIA CHAIR DEDICATED

Commander Packard then asked historian Lessard to call forward representatives of Rolling Thunder, the Smith family and Selectmen Allin Frawley, chairman, and Diane Stewart to accept, on behalf of the town, a POW/MIA chair dedicated in William Smith’s memory and to other POW’s and MIA’s.
The chair will be placed in the town hall.
Bob Smith was called upon to place a wreath at the Vietnam Monument, while Kira Kopacz sang “God Bless America.”
Following that wreath’s placement, a special wreath was placed at the base of the park’s flag pole by local Vietnam Veterans. Other wreaths were placed by members of Veterans of Foreign Wars, American Legion, Disabled American Veterans and Korean Veterans of America at their respective monuments.
Middleborough war casualties from the Civil War to the present were memorialized by the reading of their names. After each name was read, Al Ortlet rang the USS Caron ship’s bell. Reading the names were Pat Bettencourt, Paul Kreitzberg, Paul Provencher.
Family members of those lost in the wars, Gold Star Mothers and Gold Star Wives were asked to stand and be recognized and were presented with carnations.
At this point, Commander asked the audience to stand and remain standing for the benediction by Reverend Jason Genest of the North Middleboro Baptist Church.
A 21 gun salute was accomplished by the firing squad of the Middleboro Veterans Council Honor Guard. Taps followed with an echo performed by High School band members Justin Wilbur and Stephanie Friece......( Posted by Bob Lessard Historian 2014.)