MEXICO – The smells of raked dirt, spring flowers and machine-swept street sand mingled with the sounds of birds Thursday morning at Mexico Veterans Memorial Green. There, under the watchful eyes of Norbert “Nobby” Gallant, two men labored to place 67 granite markers immortalizing the names, ranks and service years of Mexico’s veterans.
Traffic whizzing by on adjacent Route 2, or River Street, as it’s known locally, failed to break their focus.
“That’s my father, there, and I’m beside him,” Gallant said, pointing to one of the gray stones, which states, “James J. Gallant, U.S. Army WWII, 1917-1918.”
Gallant’s own marker reads BM (bosun’s mate) Norbert S. Gallant, 32nd Spec. Batt., Seabee, 1943-1946, Samar China.
Gallant rattled off the details of Mexico’s ambitious project to honor all its residents who either served in or are currently serving in the military.
“It started with this plaque, honoring the 38 men from Mexico who were killed in World War I, World War II, Vietnam and Korea,” Gallant said, noting the large monument to the left of three towering flagpoles.
The 67 new stones are placed in rows, 15 stones wide, at the base of the flagpoles.
“I went to school with all these World War II guys. There’s my brother-in-law, who was killed in the English Channel, his brother-in-law and two cousins,” he said, pointing to engraved names on the monument that was dedicated on Memorial Day, May 25, 1998.
“Then, we came up with this brilliant idea, that for all those that have served their country – past, present and future – and are from Mexico, they can have their stones placed here,” he said.
“We’ve got room for hundreds of stones, and there are hundreds of veterans in Mexico. And they don’t know about this yet. Anybody that raised their right hand qualifies,” Gallant added.
Mexico Town Clerk Penny Duguay said Thursday that people interested in honoring Mexico family members or ancestors in the military or wars – whether it be the Civil War or the war in Iraq – can visit or call the town office at 364-7971 for a veteran’s-stone application.
A granite marker, engraved with 50 characters, costs $75. Anything over 50, is $4 per character, with a maximum of 60 characters. John Durland, owner of Durland’s Monuments on Cross Street in Mexico, is doing the engraving, said Air Force veteran Lee Boyle, who served from 1957 to 1961. He’d placed his marker in the ground earlier.
“People are doing this everywhere, putting up memorials and recognizing ones who are deceased. But this is to recognize veterans, anyone from Mexico who served,” Boyle said.
Gallant’s other helper, James Landry, carefully swept dust off the new markers as Boyle adjusted the last marker of the day. Landry’s stone shows that he served overseas in the Air Force from 1966 to 1970.
American flags in markers at the corners of the plot, fluttered in the wind, their shadows sweeping over Mexico’s military history.
The markers are to be dedicated on Memorial Day, Monday, May 30, in a ceremony by new Town Manager John Madigan. Several dignitaries are also expected to attend.
Madigan said Thursday that he served three years in the Army, 15 months of it as a salvage diver in the Vietnam War at the Mekong Delta from 1970-71.
“Personally, I think this is a wonderful idea, and such a tremendous thing, to honor Mexico citizens who served,” he said.
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