MEXICO – More than 150 people attended a Memorial Day ceremony at the site of Mexico’s war memorial.

A brass ensemble and vocalists from Rappa community chorus were on hand to join in honoring the men and women who served in the nation’s armed forces.

With several soldiers from the area serving in war-torn areas, this year’s ceremony was especially poignant. Listing the names of 17 local soldiers stationed in Iraq, master of ceremonies and Town Manager Joe Derouche reminded the crowd of the sacrifices veterans make. “Whenever I hear about a soldier who loses his life over there, my heart drops for fear that it is someone from our town,” he said.

Standing in front of the Mexico war memorial, Derouche asked that people show their support for U.S. soldiers serving overseas by sending care packages or e-mails. He added that area residents will have an extra responsibility when those soldiers return to Maine. “When they finally come home, we here in the River Valley need to recognize these soldiers like they’ve never been recognized before,” he said.

As part of the ceremony, the crowd honored two men who had inadvertently been left off the plaque honoring Mexico’s World War II veterans. For longtime friends James M. Eaton Jr. and Warren Campbell, it was a special day that was a long time in coming.

Town officials told Eaton in 1982 that the oversight would be corrected, but delay after delay kept his name off the plaque. When asked how the correction finally came about, Eaton said that friend Barbara Laramee brought the matter up at town meeting. “That got the ball rolling,” he explained. “The town agreed and now here we are.”

Eaton, a career serviceman who also served in Korea and Vietnam, was not sure he would ever see his name among those with whom he served in the 1940s. Those doubts grew when he recently suffered a stroke.

“The first thing I did when I woke up in intensive care was wonder if I would see this before I was put in the earth,” he said. “For some people this kind of thing is not a big deal, but for me it is. I am very proud.”