By PATRICK ADRIAN
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CLAREMONT — Claremont veteran Peter Consic, a retired petty officer 2nd class who served from 1961 to 1965, has participated in 37 Memorial Day parades in town. One absence he said he misses this year are the antique cars.
“There used to be a lot of them,” said Consic, who explained that the veteran who used to bring his antique cars has dealt with health issues and other demands on his attention in recent years.
Another change in Memorial Day this year was in the organizing roles; American Legion member Dennis Shea assumed the role of Memorial Day Parade organizer for the first time.
Peter Goodwin, chair of the Sons of the American Legion, organized Claremont’s Memorial Day event for 20 years but retired from the role this year, Shea said. Though Goodwin still oversaw some components yesterday like ceremony set-up in Broad Street Park, this year the group decided to delegate Goodwin’s other responsibilities among members.
“All I had to do was get cars and parade participants lined up,” said Shea, describing his role.
Though the memorial ceremony in the park drew a sizeable attendance, Shea did note that the crowd attendance for the parade was larger in past years. Though what matters to Shea is taking the time to honor and remember our veterans.
“We’re a humble group,” Shea said. “This event is just an honor for us to do.”
Learning about
sacrifice in history
For Claremont resident Arthur Palmer, 95, the sacrifice of service carries difficult memories.
Palmer, a 1st class Navy seaman from 1942 to 1945, was a surviving crew member of the USS Savannah, which lost 197 crew members in a German missile counterattack in Salerno, Italy. He also served on the USS Alaska in the Battles of Iwo Jima and Okinawa.
According to a 2016 Valley News story about Palmer “70 Years Distant, Claremont’s War Memories are Vivid,” Palmer recounted his experience volunteering to retrieve dead bodies of crewmen in the Savannah over a 14-day period.
Yesterday Palmer talked about trying to watch a World War II documentary as he fought back tears.
History is important, Palmer said, though much of the learning of World War II involves dates and events, but there’s also the human loss to absorb. One in particular was the Japanese bombing in 1945 of the USS Franklin, also known as “Big Ben”, which killed almost 800 American crewmen and wounded 487.
Palmer attended the parade in a vehicle with his friend and fellow Claremont resident Arthur Brassard, 91. Brassard is also a World War II veteran, a Navy seaman 2nd class from 1945-46, transporting troops home from overseas.
Brassard and Palmer are two members of a shrinking cohort of World War II veterans living in Claremont. According to the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, though that number continues to steadily decline, there are still approximately 16 million American World War II veterans living today.
A surprise
visit from Sanders
Presidential candidate and U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (D-Vermont) made a surprise appearance at Claremont’s Memorial Day event, participating in the parade and attending the ceremony in Broad Street Park.
His visit was not political, Sanders said. His two grandchildren are members of the Claremont Middle School marching band, who performed in the parade and at the memorial ceremony.
Sanders would later attend events in Warner, Laconia and Rollinsford, he said. Though as the former chair of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, Sanders knows Memorial Day is an important time to pause and honor our veterans.
“Today is the day we honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice and remember the sacrifice they made,” Sanders said. “We need to ensure that we are providing our veterans with the best health care and benefits they deserve.”
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