LIVERMORE FALLS – Veterans who served in World War II will be remembered on Pearl Harbor Day with the dedication of new bronze name plates on the World War II Monument at the Geneva Hodgkins Memorial Park.
The dedication will begin at 7:55 a.m. Friday, Dec. 7, at the park, formerly known as Union Park, at the corner of Union, Main and Church streets.
The new bronze plates contain 726 veterans’ names, including 19 who were killed in action from Livermore and Livermore Falls. Those 19 names will have stars on each side indicating they were killed in action.
Don Simoneau, an organizer of the project and dedication, is still looking for family members of the 19 who may want to lay a wreath at the monument. One family member has stepped forward to lay a wreath to recognize Boyd F. Cook who was killed in action during the war.
Others killed in action were Roland G. Bernard, Joseph Ford Berry, Robert Clayton Dorey, Dana W. Edwards, Armond A. Emond, Laurier B. Gervais, Robert Henry Gould, John Houlihan, Theadore C. Maillet, William E. Matthews, Raymond L. Merrill, Weston P. Norton, Fernand Ouellette, Darrah M. Pomeroy, Fred Smith, Vincent D. Strout, Lester I. Wheeler and Edward B. Young.
After the service ends the friend or family member may take the wreath home. If family members of those killed in action want to lay a wreath, they are asked to call Simoneau at 897-4139.
Veterans of World War II or family of World War II veterans are invited to send their military history they want to share with the community to the American Legion, George Bunten Post 10, at 17 Reynolds Ave., Livermore Falls, ME 04254.
The more than 700 names were supposed to be put back on the new monument, the one that currently stands at the park, but never were. The original wooden monument, erected in January 1943, was taken down years ago and with it went the names.
For more than 20 years, Simoneau said he has been searching for the names of those who were on the original wooden monument. He sought help from many sources and people stepped forward to check the list of names to make sure it was accurate. People, towns and businesses also donated money to fund the project.
The bronze plates that will be installed on the monument will each have a bronze casting of likeness of the Gold Foil Eagle that was on top of the original monument, Simoneau said.

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