Honoring Those Who Made the Ultimate Sacrifice

What we currently know as Memorial Day in the United States can be traced back to what was once called Decoration Day.  After the end of the American Civil War, Decoration Day was dedicated to visiting and decorating the graves of troops lost during the war.

In 1971, Congress officially declared the last Monday in May as Memorial Day.

While many of us today celebrate the day with barbeques and recreational events, please be sure that you reserve at least a portion of the day to honor its original purpose.  To honor and mourn those who paid the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country, especially those killed during military service or contact with the enemy. 

If you are in town on Monday morning, Portland’s Memorial Day parade starts at 10:00 AM at the Iron Bridge near Powers Park.  The parade will travel up Bridge Street and end at the cemetery with a small ceremony at approximately 10:25 AM.

Below is a list of local service men who made the ultimate sacrifice. 

World War I: 1914-1918

Dale Hyland

Clifton Weisgerber

Vincent Ward

Roy A. Green

Martin J. Campbell

Ray Crandall

Orrin R. Jones

John Smith

John Pung

Claud L. Atwell

Kenneth McIntyre

John Riley

Edward Gruber

John P. Schmidt

Edward W. Gruber

John Riley

World War II: 1941-1945

Clay (Ted) Bullis

Max R. Smith

Sidney (Jack) Ball

Harvey C. Walker

Joseph H. Pohl

Claude W. Plant Jr.

Maurice Storey

Joseph R. Zimmer

Burnett J. Hobner

Arthur Newman

Werner Pohl

Theodore F. Schafer

Robert L. Block

Andrew F. Clark Jr.

Korean War: 1950-1953

William H. Young

Gerald L. Chartrand

Vietnam War: 1957-1975

Jerry N. Duffy

John M. Durham

Norman E. Goodman

Danny O. Kennell

Allen R. Towner

Operation Iraqi Freedom

David A. Huhn

We would like to thank Margaret Sheffer of the Portland Area Historical Society, as well as VFW Post 4090 and American Legion Post 129 for their assistance with this piece.