LEWISTON — Arnold Sturtevant vividly remembers sitting in his great-grandmother’s lap, listening to her tell stories about her father — Arnold’s great-great-grandfather Josiah Sturtevant — who fought at Fredericksburg in the Civil War and helped form and train black troops consisting of former slaves.

Sturtevant kept those stories alive for his descendants.

On Monday, Veterans Day, with several members of his family present, including his grandson carrying the family name Josiah, Arnold Sturtevant helped to unveil the latest granite memorial marker at Veterans Memorial Park in Lewiston during the annual Veterans Day observance.

The new monument, the 34th in the park, contains about 200 new names of local veterans. The new stone includes three Civil War veterans, three World War I veterans and 19 World War II veterans.

Monday’s observance included the participation by Company A of the Third Maine Infantry, reportedly the state’s largest Civil War reenactment organization, marching in formation and leading a small group of dignitaries in laying a wreath at the entrance to the park.

Arnold Sturtevant, who served four years in the U.S. Navy from 1951-55, said military service was instilled in his family for decades. One of his ancestors fought at Bunker Hill and other early battles of the Revolutionary War.

He credits his great-grandmother Helen for his strong sense of service, which he has passed on to his children and grandchildren.

“I remember at age four, sitting on my great-grandmother’s knee,” Arnold Sturtevant said. “She would hold my hand and lead me through a brief Bible lesson. Afterwards I would be rewarded by looking through an Indian woven basket containing all of the memorabilia my great-great-grandfather Josiah brought back from the Civil War.”

Josiah joined the 17th Maine Regiment and saw action at Fredericksburg in 1862. He missed some of the other larger battles of the Civil War when he was sent south to Port Hudson in Louisiana to train a new company of Black soldiers — the 80th United States Colored Infantry Regiment.

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He was never wounded, but contracted malaria while working in the swamps near New Orleans. That affected him until his death in 1897.

The family has published a short booklet honoring Sturtevant, called “Josiah Volunteered,” featuring a collection of his diaries, letters and pictures.

The other two Civil War soldiers honored on the new monument are Isaac Raymond and William Knowlton.

A number of other organizations participated in Monday’s observance, including a color guard unit from the Shriners, Boy Scouts and local veteran groups. Gold Star Mother Joyce Richmond led everyone in the singing of the national anthem. Normand Bussiere played taps on his bugle.

In his remarks to spectators, Lewiston Mayor Carl Sheline honored veterans for their service and thanked those who helped restore Veterans Memorial Park from last December’s devastating floods.

“You’ve endured sleepless nights,” Sheline told the veterans in attendance. “You’ve bled for our country, thank you for your service. You’ve deployed for long stretches of time away from your friends and family, thank you for your service. You’ve dug trenches, thank you for your service. Even worse, some of you worked tirelessly through piles of paperwork, thank you for your service. You’ve carried things across the battlefield and you’ve carried things back here at home, thank you for your service. And you’ve lost friends, indeed their sacrifice could be the very reason you are here, thank you for your service.”

“We cannot begin to comprehend the sacrifices that you’ve made or the things that you had to do. You have bore heavy burdens and have stood steadfast in service to your country and we honor you today in this park,” the mayor added.

Representatives for U.S. Sen. Susan Collins and U.S. Rep. Jared Golden also gave remarks during the ceremony.