Medal of Honor Living Memorial Saved

A large spruce tree in the Veterans Memorial Park at Middleboro Town Hall, a memorial to one of two Medal of Honor recipients from Middleboro, was uprooted during a winter stormm in March of this year and has been waiting for a fix since then. Last week, a crew from Mockingbird Hill Tree and Lawn Service in Lakeville comfirmed soil conditions around the tree were agreeable, significantly dried out from the soggy conditions that led to the tree coming down, and the tree was finally uprighted and replanted just in time for Memorial Day.

The spruce was dedicated on Memorial Day,, 2006 to the memory of WWI Medal of Honor recipent Army Lt Patrick J. Regan of Middleboro. The Lessard family of Middleboro had grown the spruce and donated the tree to the Veterans Memorial Park.

An account of his  Medal of Honor heroics during WWI are described "Lieut. Regan armed with an automatic pistol that was not loaded and no cartridges in the magazine, shouted the command to 'Charge the Nest' as though his platoon was behind him, whereas in fact, he was alone and dashed with empty pistiol into the nest, capturing 30 Austrian gunners and 4 machine guns."

The other Medal of  Honor recognized in the park was awarded to Navy Hospital Corpsman Third Class Wayne M. Caron for his heroics in Vietnam. A second spruce tree is dedicated as a living memorial in his name. Wayne was assigned to a Marine Corps unit which had engaged the enemy. Corpsman Caron, while rendering aid to the wounded was also wounded several times before losing his life. His Medal of Honor citation contains these words "Courageously and with unbelievable determination, Petty Officer Caron continued his attempt to reach a third Marine until he was killed by an enemy rocket round."

Middleboro is pround to honor its two Medal of Honor recipients with living memorial spruce trees. In the entire history of the United States, according to the Congressional Medal of Honor Society website, just over 3500 Medals of Honor have been awarded, and today there are only 71 living recipients.