By Susan Morse
Hampton Union, Tuesday, May 25, 2004
[Photo by Sarah Zenewicz]
HAMPTON — On Memorial Day weekend, just days before the 60th anniversary of D-Day, five local World War II veterans will join thousands of veterans of the Second World War for the dedication of a new monument honoring their service.
World War II veterans Allen Walker, Ken Buell, John MacInnes and Ansell Palmer from Hampton and Ted Kopanski from North Hampton are among 35 veterans statewide who will be in Washington Saturday for the Dedication Day Ceremony of the new World War II memorial. All belong to American Legion Post 35, representing Hampton, North Hampton and Hampton Falls.
Other local veterans making the trip include Harold Whitehouse Jr. and Charles Vaughn of Portsmouth and Gerard Mongeon of Newmarket.
Post 35 Cmdr. Ralph Fatello, Treasurer Joe Kutt and others began promoting the trip to the World War II veterans in their post last year.
“Some of the guys were a little reluctant,” Fatello said. “We said, ‘this is the biggest thing, this is something you guys deserve.’ A little prodding got one guy to stand up and pretty soon there was four or five of them.”
Manchester American Legion Post 43 District 4 Cmdr. Robert Blais got everything rolling almost a year ago when he asked members of his post if they were interested in attending the dedication.
“I had gone to the ground-breaking ceremony a few years back and I decided then I wanted to (go),” Blais said. “Last August or September, I started talking about it to certain people; nobody seemed to want to move. I contacted a bus company.”
Blais ended up ordering two buses to hold the 35 World War II veterans and 70 others who are making the trip. Many are veterans of the Korean War and Vietnam.
Fatello would also like to be on that bus, but will remain in Hampton for Memorial Day ceremonies on Monday, May 31. This year’s guest speaker is Lt. Col. Tim Bailey of Hampton, who was honored recently with the Bronze Star in a surprise ceremony. Also attending will be brothers Alan and Don Bishop, of Portsmouth and Northwood, who both served in Guadalcanal in World War II.
The focus of this year’s Memorial Day ceremony, said Fatello, is tying together World War II and the war on terrorism. The recent war is the first time since World War II that brothers are being allowed to serve together, as well as husbands and wives, he said.
“They called World War II the greatest generation,” Fatello said. “I think that’s true. This generation is nipping at their heels.”
Fatello and others don’t know why it’s taken so long for the nation to construct a monument to the 16 million men and women who served in World War II and the 400,000 who died in the war.
The idea of a World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C., was first brought to Congress in 1987, according to a memorial Web site. Architect Friedrich St. Florian designed the mostly bronze and granite construction of pillars and arches. It is located in the former Rainbow Pool between the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument.
Fatello remembers his late father, a World War II veteran, visiting a classroom to tell students about the war.
“I remember my father telling me how he met Civil War vets,” Fatello said. Fatello told the class, “You will tell your children someday you met World War II vets. This is living history, right here.”