Journal Opinion, Nov. 7, 2018
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| SINGING THE BOYS HOME. In the aftermath of World War I, thousands of American troops returned from Europe. Along with parades and receptions, popular songs such as the one above celebrated their return. |
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| ORFORD MEMORIAL. In 1920, Orford became the first local community to honor WW I veterans with a public monument. Originally located at the top of Bridge Street, the monument now stands next to the Orford Congregational Church. (Photo courtesy of Arthur Pease) |
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| TOMB OF THE UNKNOWN SOLDIER. On Armistice Day, 1921, a national holiday was observed as the nation established the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington Cemetery. Built from Vermont marble, the shrine was the final resting place for an unknown American soldier brought home from France. |
“To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be
filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s
service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from
which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to
show her sympathy with peace and justice in the council of the nations…” Pres.
Woodrow Wilson, Nov.1919
World War I, the
Great War, began in August 1914. The United States entered the conflict in
April 1917 after Germany declared unrestricted submarine warfare on American
vessels. Among the 4.7 million American
who joined the military service were over 650 local men and women. The war cost
the United States 53,402 battle deaths with an additional 204,000 wounded. Over
63,000 other service members died, many from the influenza pandemic. At least
35 locals died while in service.
While these locals
served in every branch of the military, many men served in the Yankee
Division. As part of the American Expeditionary Force, this division served on
the Western Front longer than any other American unit. The American involvement
tipped the stalemate in favor of the Allies. The Yankee Division was involved
in heavy fighting right up to the armistice that brought an end to the fighting at 11 a.m. Nov. 11, 1918.
The war had a major impact on the local home front. In order
to mobilize the nation, the national government was given significant new
powers to control the economy, the transportation system and the media.
Government declarations promoted the war effort and encourage the sale of war
bonds. As the country was assisting its allies, there were shortages of food
and fuel. Citizens of all ages joined in the effort to meet the nation’s
quotas.
The nation rejoiced on that November day with school
closings, church services, factory whistles blowing and “spontaneous” parades.
Bradford celebrated as people gathered in the streets in
front of what is now the Bliss Village Store and “sang songs of joy and praise
and thanksgiving, under a great star-spangled banner flying overhead across the
street.” In Haverhill and Woodsville, as in other towns, the bells rang all
day. It was reported that “there was a
clear satisfaction and joy written on the faces of everyone.”
On April 4, 1919, the first ship load of returning soldiers
landed in Boston. Welcoming boats crowded with officials, families and friends
met them. Later that month, full-dress parades were held at Fort Devens in
Massachusetts and in Boston to honor the returnees before they were discharged.
In many area towns, welcome home receptions, banquets and
dances were held. On July 5, 1919, Barre hosted a parade for Orange and
Washington County veterans, complete with a victory arch erected in the center
of the business district.
Nov. 11 became known as Armistice Day in the United States
and France and Remembrance Day in Canada and Britain. In 1919, President Wilson
proclaimed the first Armistice Day anniversary observance with the statement at
the beginning of this column. On that day, residents of Newbury and Haverhill
hosted a car parade “rivaling the 4th of July.” The custom of observing moments
of silence at 11 a.m. in remembrance of the war dead became widespread.
In 1920, the newly established American Legion Post in
Woodsville observed the anniversary with a dinner, concert and dance. There
were also Legion Posts in Bradford, Rumney, Lyme and Newbury. Veterans of Foreign Wars Posts were
established in Wells River, North Haverhill, Groton, Fairlee and Bradford, some
before and some after World War II.
Among their civic activities, these veterans groups sold
artificial poppies to raise funds for the needy children of France and for
disabled veterans. Communities also used the observance to promote annual Red
Cross drives.
Many veterans came home with physical wounds. Others
suffered from shell shock, now known as post-traumatic stress disorder. While
it is now known that the horrendous conditions of the Western Front was a major
cause of the disorder, it was often thought at the time to be caused by a “lack
of moral fiber.”
Returning soldiers also suffered from acute unemployment as
the nation experienced a sharp post-war recession in 1920-21.This was caused by
the shift from wartime to a peace time economy and the attempt to absorb
millions of veterans into the economy.
The America Legion worked to find employment for veterans.
In Sept 1921, the Caledonian-Record ran the following Legion announcement:
“Figures alone do not tell the plight of the American unemployed veterans, for
the great part of the jobless ex-soldier and ex-sailor are not only out of
work, but are engaged at this moment in a struggle for existence with their
backs to the wall of circumstance.”
In 1921, Armistice Day was declared a national holiday as
America established the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington Cemetery.
Built of Vermont marble, the shrine became the final resting place for an
unknown American soldier brought home from France.
The United Opinion reported the local observance. “Promptly
at 12 o’clock noon today, church, school and fire bells will commence to
toll…Vaneer mill and creamery whistles will boom out, and Bradford will bow in
reverent silence to pay homage to American’s unknown hero.”
Local communities
began to create monuments to honor those who served in the recent conflict. In
1920, Orford created a monument complete
with an honor roll. Originally placed at the top of Bridge Street, this monument
now stands on the mall next to the Orford Congregational Church. In 2003, that community dedicated a new
monument to honor veterans of WW II. It
is located in front of the Town Offices.
In June 1921, a World War I monument was dedicated at
Haverhill Corner. In August 1921, Bradford dedicated a Memorial Park north of
the Library. A granite monument was erected bearing bronze tablets with the
names of the soldiers and sailors of the Civil War, the Spanish American War
and World War I.
Fairlee’s Soldiers’ Monument was dedicated in August 1926.
While there had been discussion of listing the names of those being honored, it
was decided to have a simple inscription that read “To Those Who Gave Their
Lives in the Service of Our Nation.” At the dedication, Congressman Ernest
Gibson’s comment on the inscription was that it was “all that could be
said.”
In the 1920s and ‘30s, most states established Armistice Day
as a legal holiday. Because the
establishing of legal holidays was a state prerogative, it was not until 1938
that the Federal government made it a legal national holiday.
Only occasionally did local reporters for The United Opinion
mentioned Armistice Day observances by schools and veterans organizations.
Elders with whom I spoke recall that Memorial Day was more often observed with
programs in schools than Armistice Day.
In November 1929, an editorial entitled “Armistice Day
Thoughts,” praised the work of the American Legion in support of war veterans
and their dependents. As it cited the Legion’s civic programs, it decried the
lack of support for ex-service men by the general public.
In 1935, the Bradford
Legion Post used the newly-dedicated Academy gym as a location for an Armistice
Day dance featuring the Bar X Cowboys and caller George Bedell. By that time it
had become an established tradition for stores to close for the holiday. This
practice continued for some time, although by the 1950’s only some businesses
closed for the entire day.
World War II and the Korean War created millions of
additional veterans and, in the early 1950s, interest in observing a day in
their honor grew. In 1953, a special Armistice Day assembly was held at
Bradford Academy at which the school was presented with the flag that covered
the casket of the late General Herbert T. Johnson of Bradford, former Adjutant
General of Vermont. Orators spoke of the
meaning of Armistice Day. On that same day, Loyalty Day was observed in the
Fairlee Elementary School.
In 1954, President Eisenhower signed legislation changing
Armistice Day to Veterans Day. In keeping with the theme of honoring all
service men and women who had served, special ceremonies were held locally. As
it is a day honoring all veterans, Veterans Day is spelled without an
apostrophe.
In 1968, the Federal government, as part of the Uniform
Monday Holiday Act, moved Veterans Day to the fourth Monday in October. When
the legislation took effect in 1971, some states began to move the observance
back to November 11th. In 1978, with popular support, the Federal holiday
observance reverted as well.
For some years, the Legion Post in Woodsville has led other
veterans groups for a ceremony at the
veterans monument on Woodsville’s Central Street. The ceremony draws up between
40 and 100 participants and spectators depending on the weather and the day of
the week on which Veterans Day falls. The veterans groups also sell poppies.
Veteran Leonard Dobbins told me that Veterans Day ceremonies
had been held in Bradford for decades. Scott Johnson, Bradford’s American
Legion Commander, said that for some years a short Veterans Day observance were
held at the Bradford Gazebo.
In 2010, at a special
Veterans Day assembly, Oxbow High School and River Bend Career Center dedicated
an honor roll to the students, faculty and staff members who have served in
America’s armed forces. The plaque is
located next to the flagpole on the front lawn. On November 8, 2018, the Bradford
Historical Society met with the students and staff at the high school to honor
veterans and commemorate the 100th anniversary of the armistice.
On November 11, 2011, Bradford dedicated Veterans Honor
Rolls for its veterans from World War II, Korea and Vietnam. The ceremony,
which took place in the auditorium of the Bradford Academy, was attended by
about 150 local residents, including some 6th graders from the Bradford
Elementary School. The attractive wooden panels with engraved name plates were
crafted and donated by Copeland Furniture.
In 2012, Piermont’s Veterans Memorial was moved from its
location in front of the old town hall to become the center piece of the new
Piermont Memorial Gardens in the South Lawn Cemetery.
In May 2016, the Veterans Memorial that had been placed on
Bradford’s Memorial Field in 1965 was moved to a more prominent location on the
front lawn of the Bradford Academy. The dedication of this new setting was part
of Bradford’s 250th celebration.
There are no living World War I veterans in America. Frank Woodruff Buckles passed away in 2011 at
age 110. He was “our last living link” to that Great War. The ranks of World
War II veterans are rapidly being depleted and the obituaries of Korean and Vietnam conflicts veterans are
increasingly common.
This year, as in other years, newspapers will include
mentions of Veterans Day in columns and advertisements. Television programs
will make note of the day and may mention the centennial observance. Some
businesses will close and others will offer special deals to service personnel
and veterans. Veterans’ groups will hold ceremonies. Concerts, parades and
wreath-laying ceremonies will be held across the nation. Flags and poppies will
appear. Some will raise a glass to departed comrades.
In November, 1926, The United Opinion featured a
retrospective editorial entitled “Back to Plowshares” heralding the return to
normalcy in the general population. But it went on to say, normalcy came to
“…all except the shattered shell-shocked bodies and the bereft minds and morale
of the unfortunate heroes. To them, then, is due all deference and reverence on
Armistice Day, the first to respond, yet the most futile to restore and
recompense, for an imperishable service.”
For Veterans Day, 2018, with a whole new group of veterans
returned from conflict, this is a timely message.
