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Feature Stories & Advertising, Sun Journal, Lewiston, Maine, Thursday, November 11, 20102 VETERANS DAY SALUTE

U S F A M I L Y H E A L T H P L A N

V E T E R A N S D A Y • N O V E M B E R 1 1

THANK YOUTo all the men and women who have

served our nation and to those who areserving now, we are forever grateful.

By Dave McLaughlinFeature Writer / Photographer

Merlon Reynolds: Army veteran WWII, 1st Lieutenant

FARMINGTON — Merlon Reynolds is an 88-year-old U.S. Army Air Corps combat veteran of World War II, who flew nearly 50 bombing missions in the B-24 Liberator. Thirty-five of those missions were with the same crew in a Liberator they dubbed, “The Big Sleep.”

“First we trained in fighter planes in Texas and then we were sent to Mississippi to train in the Mustang P 51,” Reynolds said. “I got my wings when I was 21.”

Reynolds enlisted on January 24, 1941 as an aviation cadet, and was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in June 1943. He trained as a B-24 Liberator bomber pilot and was attached to the 31st Bomb Squadron/5th Bomb Group.

“I wanted to fly the Mustang, but they were short of men for the B-24. I went on as a co-pilot and we trained at Hamilton Field in California. When I first flew, I knew that flying was what I wanted to do,” Reynolds added. “I felt like I was married to the plane.”

Veteran Merlon Reynolds said the time he spent in the military was worth it.Reynolds

page 3 ‰

Feature Stories & Advertising, Sun Journal, Lewiston, Maine, Thursday, November 11, 2010 VETERANS DAY SALUTE 3

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He lef t for the Paci f ic theater of operations in D ec emb er 19 4 3 , se ei n g combat in New Guinea, P h i l ippi ne L ib er at ion , Northern Solomons, Eastern Mandates, and Bismarck Archipelago campaigns.

As the co-pilot, Reynolds flew 35 consecutive missions with the same crew; the first time a different crew took that same aircraft, engines failed and it crashed, killing all aboard.

“The whole crew was killed on take off,” Reynolds said. “It was a night mission and the engines failed and it crashed.”

Flights were dangerous, f lying through deadly anti-aircraft fire and f lak, that often ripped holes in the plane and twice nearly found Reynolds in the co-pilot seat, all the while looking for enemy aircraft and fire from below.

“When they were shooting up at us, they had two methods of gauging our altitude and speed,” Reynolds said. “The enemy aircraft would be just out of range and they would be relaying information to the guns on the ground. We got hit several times. One piece, the size of a softball, put a scratch on my butt, it was that close.”

During his 35 consecutive missions, Reynolds f lew with a crew of 10 people, one being the navigator, who guided the plane, night or day, in the direction of the current bombing mission. The navigator on the Big Sleep used the North Star and Southern Cross to find the way, Reynolds explained.

“We had a great navigator, he was really good, we just followed his directions,” he said. “Once you were given your orders you couldn’t

deviate from your f light plans, so that was really important to have someone who knew what he was doing. It was a little hazardous. We never lost a man.”

Reynolds was awarded the Air Medal with four oak leaf clusters, the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with five battle stars, and the Philippine Liberation Medal. He was honorably discharged with the rank of 1st Lieutenant on June 1, 1945.

“If I was a young man,” Reynolds said, “I would do it all over again.”

Reynoldsfrom page 2

Merlon Reynolds was a B-24 Liberator bomber co-pilot on the Big Sleep shown here with the crew (Reynolds is back row, second from left).

Wayne Bowles, of Poland, Maine, g r e w u p i n

Evanston, Illinois. The year Wayne graduated from high school, jobs were hard to find and his dad, a World War II veteran, suggested he enlist.

“I was scared,” said Bowles, describi ng t he d ay t he recruiter picked him up. It was February 24, 1969, and he was just a 17-year-old kid who knew very little about the war in Vietnam. Basic training lasted only eight weeks and soon Bowles found himself on a plane to Germany and then Vietnam. He remembers the day they landed in Vietnam. In f light, the plane was

noisy with newly-minted servicemen talking and joking. However, when the plane touched down their

voices went suddenly silent. They were all just kids, and they were scared.

Bowles signed up for combat infantry and during his first tour of duty he spent his time on the ground with 11 Bravo. One of his earliest experiences with the violence of war happened at base camp. The soldiers were watching a movie in a common area when the alarm sounded. As they ran toward a bunker there was an explosion nearby. When Bowles turned to urge his friend on, only his buddy’s shoes remained.

Bowles’ platoon left base camp for weeks at a time with

only what they could carry. According to Bowles, Vietnam was a war of “cover and concealment.” The American soldiers were issued olive-drab uniforms, but also camouflaged themselves with whatever they could.

T he Nor t h Vie t n a me s e and Viet Cong, who “knew the ins and outs of the jungle,” were very adept at camouf laging themselves and the consequences to A merica n person nel , as wel l as those who were thought to be supportive of the Americans, were often brutal and deadly. Bowles and his fellow soldiers were constantly on alert. He felt as if his “head was always on a swivel.” It took many years for that feeling to go away.

According to Bowles, “the suicide rate for young GIs was very high.” Many suicides were preceded by “Dear John letters.” Drugs were easy to come by and many servicemen used them to “relieve the stress of combat. All I wanted to do was get the job done and get home safely.”

Returning from his first tour, Bowles was ang ry and confused by the lack of support and services available to GIs, and by the outright hostility that was often aimed at them. He had done only what had been asked of him by his country and, although his parents’ pride was evident, it seemed to him that his countrymen were filled with disdain for him and what he had a part in. At the airport, and later in public, soldiers were confronted by anti-war protestors, spit upon, and called “baby-killers.”

Shortly after coming home, Bowles signed up for another tour of duty in Vietnam. He missed his “brothers,” and there was nothing for him here as veterans were often refused employment.

During his second tour, Bowles was assigned to a Huey Helicopter as a “door gunner.” His team flew into combat situations, picking up the wounded and dead from wherever they could land. He left Vietnam “when Saigon was about to fall,” coming home to a country whose opinion of the war, and the soldiers who had

done what was asked of them, had not changed.

According to Annette Bowles, who married Wayne after he came back, “at first he would never talk about Vietnam.” He couldn’t get past the hyper-vigilance. A child with a toy gun would startle him. “A car would backfire and I would dive into a bush or a ditch,” added Wayne. Movies about war were often intolerable.

Bowles stayed in the army for several more years and on discharge joined the Coast Guard for four years. From about 1976 until 1993, Bowles ser ved wit h t he National Guard.

The Bowles relocated as W a y n e ’ s a s s i g n m e n t s changed. While stationed in California, Annette “started a women’s support group” for the wives of combat veterans. According to Annette, “When you marry a military man, you have to understand what he went through.”

There were many sleepless nights and dif ficult days but, unlike many “veteran” couples whose unions ended i n divorce, t hey st ayed together through it a l l . Annette recalled speaking with their five children about “what he was going through” because she wanted them to understand why their dad would sometimes become moody and angry. Though he had a great deal of support at home, Bowles found that there was still very little support for veterans outside of their families.

For many years, Bowles had terrible and violent nightmares that would take him back to the jungles of Vietnam. Eventually, he was diagnosed with Post


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Bowlespage 5 ‰

Traumatic Stress Disorder and was able to obtain counseling and join support groups where he could talk with other veterans who knew firsthand the emotional and physical troubles that were haunting him.

Bowles still drives to Togus Veterans Hospital every month to obtain treatment for Jungle Rot, a condition that causes his toenails to become discolored and the skin on his feet to develop painful rashes and peel. Bowles, along with many other servicemen, developed this condition as the result of walking in mud and living in swamps for extended periods of time. While out in the jungle, the servicemen were required to sleep with their boots on and would sometimes go for a month without a shower or dry clothing.

According to Bowles, “The Vietnam war was not like any other. Nowadays, you see a lot of veterans, and people say thank you.” For years, however, almost no one said “thank you” to Vietnam veterans. “Now, after all these years, they are beginning to recognize us.”

The Bowles visited The Moving Wall, a traveling Vietnam Veterans Memorial, when it came to Lewiston, but would like to take a trip to Washington, DC to visit “The Wall” there. Their son, Michael, continued his family’s tradition of commitment to military service by joining the Air Force, and is a veteran of Desert Storm.

After the violence that he witnessed and was a part of, after being spit upon and denigrated by his own countrymen driven by their opposition to the war, after the nightmares, the lack of mental health services, and the continuing medical issues related to his service in Vietnam, Bowle’s attitude remains positive.

“I love my country and if asked, I would do it again.” According to Bowles, “I guess I was just one of the lucky ones.”


A MESSAGE TOOUR VETERANS

You put your own plans aside, kissed your familiesgood-bye and went off to serve your country.

You endured loneliness, fear and physical pain.You faced the enemy and sometimes death.You stood between us and those who would

destroy the liberties we cherish.When you returned, your lives were forever changed.Your sacrifice was great and must never be forgotten.

Our debt to you is large and can never be repaid.We thank all of you today and everyday

and we support all of our forces currently serving.

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Wayne Bowles

Bowlesfrom page 4

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Bowles and other veterans’ stories.

back, we were considered the ‘crazies’,” he admitted. “There was no such thing as post traumatic stress syndrome.”

Both Frechette and his wife, Samantha, a certified nurse’s aide who has worked with Vietnam vets, agree that coming back was hard. Even today, anything can trigger flashbacks. The smell of rice, a car back-firing, loud sounds, and nightmares can transport veterans back to the bush.

It took Frechette a very long time before he could even go to a Chinese restaurant. He still cannot tolerate crowds and prefers to work for himself

or at jobs requiring only one-to-one interaction. His nightmares once resulted in his wife’s broken ribs. He continues to wage war with his “ghosts” even today.

Still, Frechette finds his solace with his wife of 18 years, in walking his puppy, Bullet, and in his hobby of baking from scratch. He confessed it is very therapeutic. “I just love it!” he said, his eyes twinkling as he cut a pan of freshly-made brownies.

Though he has packed away his military documents and photographs as he and his wife anticipate a move to Pennsylvania to be nearer family, he ref lected on Vietnam and the importance of remembering that war as part of American history.

“Particularly for young adults, it is important

that the Vietnam war be presented along with all the other wars and battles that have formed this nation. I leave my flag out until December 7 because that was the day of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. 9/ll was a terrible, terrible day in the history of our nation, but it was not the first time our country was attacked.”

We must remember. We cannot forget.


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Honor a loved one. To place an “in memory of” or “in honor

of” advertisement in next year’s Veterans Day Salute feature section,

call Marie Gagne at 689-2979.


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Hal Watson, Viet Nam war veteran Specialist 4, retired history teacher

his teaching career as the school’s wrestling coach, building the program from scratch and then winning two state titles. Last year, he was inducted into the Maine Amateur Wrestling Alliance Hall of Fame.

“I was overwhelmed at being selected,” Watson said, at the time. “To have my name mentioned in the same conversation with

those (past and current) recipients is gratifying. As I have contacted people, it has forced me to realize that this has happened to a short, fat, bald kid from (River Valley).”

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Watsonfrom page 12

extremely thankful for the support at home that made everything he was doing more meaningful. “The thing about being a veteran is really about the family that supported me,” he said. “I couldn’t have done what I did without the support of my family. I was one of many.” He added, “It is hard on the families of military personnel. It is everyone else involved who has to bear the burden.”

Hickeyfrom page 12

Mike Hickey

B ei n g i n t he m i l it a r y during the 60s was hard. In a period of free love, drugs, and “flower power,” Ronald Frechette, who joined the U.S. Marine Corps in 1967 shortly a f ter his 19th birthday, remembers the spitting, the protests, and the country’s overall distaste with the war in Vietnam. At the time, Frechette was just a young man looking to do his duty for his country, enlisting of his own free will, rather than waiting to be drafted.

“I figured it was my duty – to do something for my country,” said Frechette. He spent 13 weeks of infantry training in North Carolina’s Camp Geiger, and then four weeks advanced infantry training at Camp LeJeune.

“People were being moved out fast because of the war,” explained Frechette. “There were 80 men in our platoon. Of the 80, 95% went to Vietnam and the rest remained stateside.”

Following his time at Camp LeJeune, F rechette f lew to Cali fornia and Camp Pendleton where he received training for staging battalion. His first MOS – military occupational specialty – was 1381 Shore Party.

“And it wasn’t a party. We, a three man team, resupplied the troops with whatever they needed. We called the rear [for supplies] and directed choppers in to make the deliveries of ammunition, water, ratios. Sometimes we served as the radio men. If it was a ‘hot’ landing zone [where fighting was taking place], they wouldn’t drop the supplies, but would come back at a later time.”

From California, his group f lew to Hawaii and then on to Okinawa. “We waited and waited and waited,” said Frechette. “None of us knew where we were going. Finally, Continental Airway flew us to the airbase in Da Nang in South Vietnam.”

“In the beginning, there was fear,” he recalled, when asked how he felt going to war as a young man. “After

six months, sometimes less, you didn’t care whether you lived or died. People did crazy, reckless things.” Frechette recounted the time a chopper came in with supplies and he allowed it to land on his chest. “I got in trouble for that. I could have been electrocuted.”

The day Frechette learned that his buddy from boot camp was killed in a Napalm attack was a turning point for him. “What I had left was taken out of me,” he admitted. “I coped with everything through a lot of adrenaline and drinking, though never when I was on guard duty. Drugs and marijuana were a real problem over there. Guys used them to forget what was going on.”

He continued, “It [Vietnam] was not like other wars. There were no trenches, no front lines. The V.C. hid in holes and would pop up everywhere. They had t u n nel s , whole me d ic a l units underground. You never knew what might be a “booby” trap. Civilians were used as infiltrators and spies. ‘Charlie’ was everywhere. There had been f ighting in that country years before we got there. They were pretty smart.”

Frechette said that though his f irst MOS was 1381

Shore Party and his second was Combat Engineer, his training took a back seat to the needs of the war. He, as is true for all Marines then and today, was first and always an 0311 – a rifleman. “Regardless o f you r e duc at ion a nd training, if you were needed in the fight, you were going. As a Marine, you learned to shoot a rifle.”

F r e c h e t t e c o n f i r m e d he participated in three operations on three different troop carriers : the USS Tripoli, the USS Valley Forge, and the USS Monticello. Out “on the bush,” he participated in Operation Allen Brook I, named after a then-deceased Marine. The specifics of certain operations are still not available to the public as the government has not released the information. Although his son works as a historian for the U.S. Army, Frechette has had a difficult time gathering information about the time he served in Vietnam.

W hether he ever ki l led anyone, Frechette doesn’t know. “Someone shot at you and you shot back,” he stated matter-of-factly. “There was a lot of retaliation fighting. They did this to us, so we did it back to them. Sometimes we would be caught in a ‘no fire zone’ where there were

civilians and the V.C. could fire at us, but we could not fire at them.” To this day, he simply cannot relay stories of the gore and all that he saw.

Frechette kept a diary during his time in Vietnam. At one point, before being sent home, he spent time in the Newport Naval Hospital in Rhode Island. While there, he had pages of his diary mysteriously disappea r, neatly cut away from his jou r n a l . H i s p er son a l account of his experience i n Vie t n a m wa s g one . Frechette feels badly for those people who participated in secretive missions without documentation or “Blackout Operations” because without documentation, it is as though t he s e op er at ion s never occurred. Soldiers cannot “prove” their involvement in such operations, thus making them, in some cases, unable to access military benefits.

T he hardest par t about coming home from Vietnam was the lack of support from family, neighborhoods, and communities. Frechette saw no ef for t made by the community to try to understand what he and other veterans had experienced in Vietnam. That, according to Frechette, is why some men never transitioned back successfully. “When we came


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By Donna Rousseau Feature Writer / Photographer

Ronald Frechette: Remembering Vietnam

Ronald and Samantha Frechette

Frechettepage 6 ‰

Jim Merrill, of Lisbon, is a proud veteran who retired from a 20-year career in the U.S. Air Force in 1987 as a Tech Sergeant.

He comes from a military family in which his father ea r ned a P u r ple Hea r t fighting in the trenches of France during World War I and his brother was an army engineer who served time between the Korean war and the Vietnam war. He also had an uncle who served as a chaplain during World War II.

Perhaps his proudest moment of military service came during a 12-month period when he served in Vietnam in 1966 and 1967. Unlike so many young men of the time who shunned the war and tried to avoid military service, Merrill said that he actually volunteered to go to Vietnam as a security policeman.

“I felt it was my duty to go,” said Merrill, who admitted to being inspired by his military family. “It just seemed that it was my duty to go... it was the idea of doing my job.”

Merrill’s job brought him to a Vietnam mountainside where his primary mission was to guard a radar site. The location was important because it kept track of all f lights headed to North Vietnam from Da Nang.

W hen asked to describe his experience in Vietnam, Merrill made reference to a Hollywood movie that mirrored his recollections.

“In the movie, Platoon, there’s a soldier sitting in a monsoon rain storm trying not to fall

asleep,” said Merrill. He said that the scene was so real because soldiers were always “on edge” not knowing when the enemy would hit.

Merrill recalls a time when a Marine from Maine named Leon Poland was out on patrol and was killed after stepping on a land mine. “We would share patrols — Air Force and Marines — and we heard that Leon was killed,” said Merrill, describing one of his darkest memories. “It could have been any one of us on any day.”

Another tragedy of the war for Merrill was his bout with alcohol abuse. He said that he wanted to “forget things by jumping into the bottle” and he believes that his time in Vietnam contributed to making him “a drunk.”

Today, Merril l said that he’s been recovering from alcohol for the past 23 years and he works, currently, as a substance abuse counselor for Tri-County Mental Health Services in Lewiston.

Merrill admitted there were fond memories from his time in Vietnam. In fact, on one occasion, he was able to meet his childhood idol, TV star Roy Rogers.

“One quiet eveni ng, i n October of 1966, I was in ‘the hooch,’ the place where we

lived, and someone came in and said that Roy Rogers and Dale Evans were performing in the main hangar,” said Merrill. “Not believing him, I said, ‘Right and I bet the Lone Ranger is there, too!’”

Mer ri l l felt d i f ferent ly after he saw Roy Rogers in performance and got to meet him personally. “Growing up, he was my hero and now I was talking with him. I asked him why he didn’t bring Trigger (his famous horse) and he said that he’d be nervous of the Viet Cong,” said Merrill. “It was a special moment.”

On another occasion, Merrill a l mo s t me t Hol ly wo o d legend, James Stewart, who was visiting Vietnam in his role as Brigadier General in the United States Air Force Reserve. Merrill said that he fondly recalled Stewart’s performance in Strategic Air Command, a movie that inspired him to a military life.

“It was my job to protect him while he was in the area. I got to within 50 yards of him, but I wasn’t able to leave my post to meet him personally,” said Merrill, who often regretted not having the opportunity.

It would be many years later, in 1990, when he saw a feature article on Stewart in Reader’s Digest that prompted him to write to the actor to tell him how much he inspired him with his military service. About a month after sending the letter, Merrill received a personalized and handwritten letter from Stewart sending his best regards. The letter is among Merrill’s cherished possessions.

Even at age 65, with the United States in the midst of two wars, Merrill would not shy from military service.

“If I could go, I’d go again,” said Merrill.


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Jim Merrill: Proud veteran of a 20-year Air Force career

Jim Merrill

On Veterans Day, Merrill believes, “All of us should honor the veterans who laid down their lives for this country. All of them – the soldiers – have given their price – always.”

Nestled in the woods in North Norway is a picturesque little park. Like other parks, visitors can relax on a park bench and enjoy the beautiful flowers, and listen to the bird songs coming from the surrounding trees. There is peace, quiet, and serenity to be found in this little park in the woods.

This is not an old park – it was created only a little over four years ago – yet it is flanked on one side with a stone wall giving testimony to the farmlands that existed centuries ago before being claimed by the woods.

This is a memorial park, the final resting place for an American hero, Sgt. Corey A. Dan, who was killed in action in Ramadi, Iraq on March 13, 2006. Corey is my grandson.

In the interest of full disclosure, and respect for Corey’s other grandparents, I have to say that Corey was my step-grandson. He was only three-years-old when he came into my life and our bond made stronger with each passing year could not have been any closer with a blood connection.

The little boy who cuddled with me as I told him silly stories became the adolescent boy I taught how to make muffins and pie crust. The adolescent boy grew into a fine young man whose dream was to join the army and go into law enforcement when his military service was done.

Soon after graduation from high school, Corey enlisted for a four-year stint, went on to basic training, then jump school, and became a member of the elite 101st Airborne Division. No grandparent could have been more proud than I was.

And no grandparent could have been more worried when Corey was deployed to Iraq at the beginning of the war. He called me from Germany while awaiting transport to Iraq and said, “Mimi, don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine and I promise I’ll be home in a year and we’ll celebrate all the holidays I’ll miss.”

He kept his promise and when he came home the next April we had a family Christmas complete with live Christmas tree, presents, and Christmas dinner.

Corey thrived in the Army and was a really good solider. When his tour of duty came to an end, he signed

on for another four years.

On December 1, 2005 Corey was deployed for a second tour in Iraq. His son, Austin, was born the same day, but Corey never got to see his little boy.

On March 14, 2006, the word of his being killed in action the day before arrived. It arrived just like it does in any movie you ever saw dealing with it; the military vehicle pulls into the driveway and the family inside looking out knows that death is going to knock on their door.

It was decided that Corey would be buried at home so he would always be close to his family. Trees were cut, stumps removed, and the land bulldozed to make it ready for burial. I thought that little piece of land was the ugliest plot I had ever seen. On the day of Corey’s burial, my grief was as raw as the new turned earth to which he was committed.

In the spring, topsoil was brought in and grass seed planted, the headstone with a picture of Corey and his beloved dog Apollo was put in place and the ugly little plot softened. My grief did not.

The next spring the grass came

in thick and lush, flowers were planted and the American flag and the flag of the 101st Airborne were put up in the trees. The icy fingers of grief around my heart started to ease their grip. The ugly plot was becoming a picturesque park.

With each passing year, the little park in the wood has become a place of beauty and peace. Flowers flourish there like no other place. A white lily grows each year to heights I have never seen, reaching well over six feet tall. Maybe the lily is Corey’s way of saying, “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.”

This past summer, Apollo, who died of old age, was buried next to Corey and now the boy and his best friend are together forever.

The grief has eased a bit and a kind of acceptance has settled in. The grass grows thick and green, the flowers bloom, and the birds sing. There is peace, quiet, and serenity to be found in this little park in the woods, the final resting place of an American hero, Sgt. Corey A. Dan, my grandson.


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ThankYou!

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Thank-You to allour Armed ForcesVeterans for yourservice, sacrificeand our freedom.

By Sharon Bouchard Feature Writer

Corey Dan: A place of peace

Corey Dan, top photo, was laid to rest in this memorial park created by his family.

L I V E R M O R E FA L L S — O n October 15, 1940 Percy Denis Ouellette enlisted in the Army in Augusta and was assigned to 1st Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 103rd Infantry Regiment. He earned a combat Infantryman Badge and was assigned war duties in the Asiatic Pacific Theatre from October 1, 1942 to July 21, 1945. His military occupation specialty was Lineman Telephone and Telegraph Technician, Cpr. T4.

“I remember it because it was just days after the first atomic bomb was dropped,” Ouellette said, referring to the Trinity Test of July 16, 1945. “They were getting ready to drop the bomb on Japan.”

Ouellette served in battles and campaigns in Guadalcanal, New Guinea, Nor thern Solomons, Luzon, New Cale donia and the Philippines. His unit often experienced heavy combat. At one point during their battles and campaigns, they were given combat rest in New Zealand and Ouellette had the duty of military police. His military occupation specialization placed Ouellette in a wide variety of combat situations. He has multiple stories of life-threatening circumstances that he experienced during his service.

Ouellette, now 93, was honorably discharged from the Army on August 23, 1945. He served his time

and arrived home before the rest of his unit finished up wartime duties because his heroics had earned him enough points to come home. Ouellette didn’t attend an award ceremony at the end of his duty and therefore never received his medals.

“I wrote to the Army a couple of times trying to get my medals,” Ouellette said. “I never heard back, so after a few months I gave up.”

Recently, Ouellette received those medals when son-in-law, retired Army Colonel Mark Fauk, made a presentation in July, when the Ouellettes’ daughter, Emily, and her husband came on vacation to visit her parents. It had been 65 years since Ouellette was discharged from the Army. He received: the Good Conduct Medal, Asiatic Pacific Theatre Campaign Ribbon, Philippines Liberation Ribbon with one Bronze Star. In August, he received, by mail, four stars to put on the Asiatic Pacific Theatre Campaign Ribbon and also received a World War II Ribbon and a Sharp Shooter’s Medal.

“I was really happy to have the medals and ribbons,” Ouellette said. “It took a long time, but I finally got them.”

After the war, he came home and married his wife, Doris Virginia Duguay Ouellette, on April 22, 1946 at St. Rose of Lima Church in Jay. The two are still living together, happily and peacefully, after 64 years of marriage.

Ouellet te was born in Van Buren, moved with his parents to Wayne and then to Chisholm, growing up on Church Street. Eventually, he moved to Botka Hill in Livermore, where he was living at the time of his departure for the war. He worked at the Otis Mill in Jay before the war and, upon his return, as an electrician and later at International Paper’s Androscoggin Mill in Jay. In 1980, Ouellette retired after attaining the rank of lead foreman. He still lives in his home in Livermore Falls that he built in 1958. Ouellette is a life member of VFW Post 3335 of Jay where he served as vice commander. He was made a life member of Disabled American Veterans in Jay and has received a Certificate of Appreciation for the support he has given to the K-5 Learning Center.


786 Center St.(Across from Lee Auto Mall)

Auburn 782-9389

Taylor Brook Mall(Behind Sam's)

Auburn 783-1280

WE PROUDLYSUPPORT

OUR TROOPSAND SALUTE OUR VETERANS

Voted Best Dry Cleaner in 2008,9th Consecutive Year, for Lew-Aub.

by Market Survey of America!

No words, no ceremony,no ribboned medal could

adequately honor you and yourservice. Your sacrifices in the

name of freedom are rememberedand deeply appreciated.

Patrons Oxford Insurance CompanyTwo Auburn Business Park, Auburn, Maine

For all the things you value.

THE SHIELDS FAMILY IS HONOREDTO HAVE SERVED

THE UNITED STATES IN THEARMED FORCES

In Memory of:

Thomas Shields -MO. State Militia Volunteer Cavalry 1862-1865

James Alexander Shields -MO. State Militia Volunteer Cavalry 1862-1865

James Thomas Shields - U.S.Navy - 1917-1919

Ford Nicholas Shields - A.E.F. Air Service - 1917-1919

James Bryant Shields - U.S.Navy - 1989-1991

In Honor of:

Kenneth E. Shields - U.S. Navy 1944-1946Dr. Thomas Ford Shields - U.S.A.F. - 1958-1966Linda Shields - U.S. Army Corps 1971-1995Kenneth C. Shields - U.S. Army 1996-2010

By Dave McLaughlin Feature Writer / Photographer

Percy Ouellette: World War II veteran TEC 5

Percy and Doris Ouellette have been married for 64 years.

It took 65 years after his honorable discharge, but Percy Ouellette, World War II veteran TEC 5, finally received the medals he earned for his military service.

RUMFORD — Over four decades ago, on July 21, 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, traveling in Apollo 11, landed on the moon, with Armstrong becoming the first human to set foot on the moon’s surface.

Back home, Hal Watson was being discharged from the Army as a Specialist 4 after serving one year, nine months and three days, as a crew chief gunner on a helicopter during the Vietnam war. “It was an incredible, short period of time that had a big impact on my life,” Watson said. “I matured during that time and learned how to take care of myself.”

Watson’s grandfather and father both served in the military so it was expected that when the time came, so would he. It was the days of the draft and eventually Watson was off on a journey of unknown proportions.

During his time in Vietnam, Watson f lew hel icopter mi ssion s t h at i ncluded cle a ri ng l a ndi ng zones for infantry soldiers and a variety of operations that placed him, and the crew he flew with, in life-threatening situations, every moment of the day.

“I was ver y lucky a nd fortunate,” Watson said. “You get used to what you are doing; most of the time we were suppressing fire from below, but those guys in the infantry, they are the ones who had it rough.”

Unlike many of the veterans who served in Vietnam, Watson was blessed with a l o v i n g f a m i l y w h o had the experience and understanding of what it meant to come home from a war. They gave him space and time, didn’t ask questions, and waited for the young man they knew to come through.

“So many people really didn’t want us when we came back from the military. It was a bad time. When I came back, I had a great family. They all had military background; they greeted me and treated me with respect.” He added, “They were a great support g roup a nd d id n’t ne e d anything from me.”

With time and the support of his family, Watson went on to enroll at Defiance College, in Ohio, and recently retired after 31 years as a history teacher at Dirigo High School in Dixfield. Watson gained major distinction during

FA R M I NGT ON — M i ke Hickey spent 10 years of his life serving his country but is always quick to point out that it was harder on his family and friends than it was on him. Their constant support and understanding were of critical value during his military career.

“I felt it was harder on my family when I was gone, than on me and what I had to do,” Hickey said. “I was doing what I loved to do, I was busy all the time. Back home, they were waiting.” Hickey, who now owns and operates Fitness Express in Farmington, served in the Marine Corps in the late 1960s, with stints in Cuba and Okinawa, and then in the Army Reserves from 2000-2007, serving in Kuwait on refueling missions. Hickey earned the rank of Sergeant E5.

During the Haitian conflict, Hickey was sent to Cuba to train for the extraction o f p e r s o n n e l f r o m t h e American embassy, if that mission became necessary. He learned extraction skills and techniques that would be used if the conf lict rose to that level, which it never did. “It was pretty crazy,” he said. “We were learning how to slide down ropes out of the back of helicopters because

that’s how we were going to get down to the embassy. We lea r ned riot cont rol techniques, we did all kinds of training.”

After the Marine Corps, Hickey worked several jobs and eventually enrolled at the University of Maine at Farmington, but after a year opted to join the 152nd Army Reser ve Field A r ti l ler y Unit in Waterville. In 2001, tragedy struck in New York City when terrorist hijackers intentionally crashed two airliners into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City. Hijackers crashed a third airliner into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia and a fourth crashed in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. There were no survivors from any of the flights.

The 112th, a Blackhawk medevac unit in Bangor, were preparing to deploy and needed refueling personnel. Hickey’s experience in the Marine Corps qualified him for the job and, after talking with his family, he opted to volunteer for deployment. “After talking with my family I decided to volunteer; they were looking for people for refueling and it was a job I had done in the Marines,” Hickey said. “So, some of us went to Bangor and checked in with a whole new bunch of guys.”

Hickey was sent to Kuwait to refuel coalition aircraft, on the Iraq border. “Whatever helicopter needed fuel, we furnished it for them,” he said. Hickey and members of the 112th were in Kuwait during the early stages of the war and learned rapidly how to survive. One moment they were training for deployment in the cold and snow, the next they were in the desert learning how to cope with massive sand storms and a deadly enemy. “We were some of the first to go over there,” Hickey said. “We were driving around in open hummers with no protection, but we learned fast and equipment changed to protect the soldiers.”

During his stints in the Ma ri ne Cor p a nd A r my Reserves, Hickey believed in what he was doing, but was


“We salute all of our Veterans pastand present and we thank you

and your families today andevery day for your service.”

545 Minot Ave.Auburn • 783-2047

694 Main St.,Lewiston • 782-1482

794 Sabattus St.,Lewiston • 783-6353

"We Remember". . .

ComingSoon To

1420Lisbon St.Lewiston


Mike Hickey: Sergeant E5, Marine Corp/Army Guard

Mike Hickey


Hal Watson, Viet Nam veteran Spc 4

Watsonpage 7 ‰

Hickeypage 7 ‰


Don Cunningham: Vietnam war, in his own words

I was a young Air Force sergeant stationed temporarily in Alaska in mid-1971, on a mission with a special unit performing high altitude

weather sampling of the atmosphere. My main duty station was in New Mexico, but I often traveled on TDYs (temporary duty assignments). This was going to be my last deployment for this mission, but I was scheduled to go elsewhere once I returned to my home base.

Just before I was due to leave Alaska, I received a message that I was being retrained and would return to Southeast Asia as soon as possible. I was in a critical career field and due to the losses in Vietnam, at that time, they were reassigning those with experience.

By December 1971, I was back in Southeast Asia assigned to a squadron in preparation for the first raid on Hanoi, North Vietnam scheduled during the end of 1971 through the beginning of 1972. We worked endless days and nights sometimes in very difficult and dangerous conditions maintaining and repairing damaged planes. In late January 1972, I received my own plane as a crew chief responsible for keeping it airworthy and ready for combat. On February 11,

1972, it was shot down by a SAM (Surface to Air Missile) over Cambodia, but the crew members were rescued.

I was temporarily without a plane, so I volunteered (or was volunteered) for whatever assignments were necessary and where my skill was needed. In late April 1972, I was assigned my next plane as the crew chief, but it was also shot down by AAA (Triple A gunfire) over North Vietnam on June 6, 1972. Due to some mechanical problems on the rescue helicopter,

I was late getting to the crash site and the pilot, Capt. John Murphy Jr., was captured and remained a POW until the release of POWs, including John McCain in the spring of 1973.

After a very difficult June, and many sleepless nights in early July, I was sent home in August and discharged in California August 20, 1972. California, at that time, was not a very hospitable place for recently returning military personnel from Southeast Asia.

Protests, angry demonstrations, and some dangerous confrontations faced many of the troops as they came back to the U.S. I left California on a civilian flight in civilian clothes and arrived in Maine, meeting just my mother at the airport. That’s what I remember most about that time and that war: the total lack of support and recognition for the troops who had the opportunity and good fortune to survive the return home.

For anyone interested in a video clip and some photos from Vietnam, contact Don at [email protected].

Sgt. Don Cunningham, USAF 1968 - 1972

Roger Belanger: Thoughts on military life

Veterans Day approaches and we remember the men and women serving our nation. We remember those who have proudly worn the

uniform of our armed services. Most of us who have enlisted in the service or, as in my day, were drafted, remember the days and years of their service with pride. Whether serving in peace time or during hostile events, each person was on call to put their lives on the line for our freedom and for protection of our land and people.

Today, we see the returning veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan. The flag is raised and the tributes are displayed for all to see. But many have forgotten the service of our veterans who served in battle during Korea and Vietnam. These solders and sailors returned without tributes and many returned to contempt.

Recently, I went to the Cole’s Transportation Museum in Bangor, Maine. I was presented with a walking stick that had the service ribbon for Vietnam on the handle. Along with that, I received a thank you for my service. It was one of the few that I have received in 40-plus years since I left the service. That thank you ripped a hole in my heart with emotion that I was not anticipating and left me humbled with gratitude.

Today’s service families have the ability to communicate by e-mail, cell phones, and skype. They are overseas, but able to have frequent contact. I remember in the 1960s that we got the occasional letter and during my 13 months away, I got to make a telephone call from Japan. On Veterans Day, we give tribute to those in or who have been in the service to show that they are each deserving of praise and appreciated.

Let us also remember the anguish of the families who had their sons and daughters in harm’s way. I think of my mother with three sons in Vietnam and a fourth in Germany. I remember that when I was the last to return home I surprised her, but the stress erupted within her and she had a heart attack when she saw me at her place of work.

Veterans Day is for remembering the willing, the brave, and the ones who sacrificed. Praise God that we have a

few who are willing to stand up for freedom and to protect our nation’s people. Don’t be bashful; if you see a veteran, extend your hand and say thank you. Without the men and women of our armed services, we might not have the privilege of being a free nation and could be speaking a different language. God bless all who serve or have served.

Roger Belanger, US Navy PH2 and US Coast Guard Reserve Ltjg


Click here to watch a video interview of veteran Wayne Bowles. Hear what he has to say about his experience in the Vietnam war.

Special Sections Feature Stories: Video interviews

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XKOY1S1xRw

veterans day salute 2010

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