A contingent from Napoleon Ouellette Post 24 of the American Legion and Boy Scouts were joined Monday by police and fire vehicles in a Memorial Day parade in Rumford and Mexico. Bruce Farrin/Rumford Falls Times
RUMFORD — With pandemic rules relaxed, more than 100 people participated in a more traditional Memorial Day service and parade Monday.
Mitzi Sequoia of Napoleon Ouellette American Legion Post 24 in Rumford places a wreath Monday at the Veterans Memorial Green on Main Street in Mexico during Memorial Day ceremonies. Behind her are Post members Kirk Thurston and Melissa Theriault. Bruce Farrin/Rumford Falls Times
Members of Napoleon Ouellette American Legion Post 24 held a service at their hall.
Guest speaker, state Sen. Lisa Keim of Dixfield, said, “We remember our fallen for their heroism on the beaches of Normandy, in the mountains of Afghanistan, throughout the jungles of Vietnam, and in the far off lands in between. We are reminded of the cost of freedom by the flags in our cemeteries, the rows of marble at Arlington, and the wreaths on headstones across the world.”
She said most who fell in battle were not old, a loss that devastated mothers and fathers. The fallen heroes include Army Pvt. Buddy McLain of Mexico, who served during Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. He died in 2010 at the age of 24 of wounds sustained when his unit was attacked with small arms fire.
“We also recognize the sacrifice isn’t limited to the young or even to those who died on the battlefields,” Keim said. “This week, I received an email from a Gold Star wife, also from Mexico, who said to me, ‘This Memorial Day, I’m paying tribute to my husband, David Newton, who died in 2008 of service-connected causes stemming from his service in the Vietnam War.'”
The senator said, “To give one’s life in liberty’s cause is a heroic tribute. However, to live every day of one’s life without your child or your spouse, is a heavy sacrifice that families throughout American history have made to establish and preserve our freedom.”
The service included the Mexico Apostolic Church choir performing five patriotic songs.
American Legion Post member Mitzi Sequoia placed a wreath at the Rumford monument near Memorial Bridge.
After the service, people formed a parade, crossing the bridge and going to the Veterans Memorial Green in Mexico, where Sequoia laid another wreath.
In early afternoon, people were invited to the Rumford American Legion Hall for refreshments, including a Memorial Day cake.
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