LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — In World War 2, Lt. John Fox was directing the fire as the Americans were under attack from the Germans.
He kept changing the directions as to where to fire until he called for heavy firing directly on his location.
"When told this, Fox simple confirmed that he knew what he was doing by saying fire it. Those salvos stopped the Germans in their tracks, gave the Americans a chance to counter-attack and retake the town," said Andrew Gibson, a history teacher at Mount Greylock Regional High School.
Fox's body was found alongside hundreds of German soldiers and weapons, Gibson said. During the Civil War Thomas Plunkett was the color bearer, directing his unit into battle. The bearer led the way and soldier would follow their flag.
"A cannon blast took away both of Plunkett's arms and wounded him in the chest but he didn't stop. He pressed that flag tight against his chest and his heart with what remained of his arms to keep the line moving forward with him in the lead until he fainted from loss of blood," Gibson said.
Those two stories are just two examples of thousands of similar tales throughout history, Gibson said as he provided the keynote address at the annual Memorial Day parade and ceremony.
The holiday recognizes those who died while serving in the armed forces. Gibson said their sacrifices are protect freedom and the land of opportunity.
"Our freedom to live our lives as we conceive them with minimal interference, this is precious because it is so rare," he said.
Selectman Robert Ericson reflected on the number of soldiers who perished. He reflected on being a parent, raising a child, and then eventually the child growing up and moving on. For some, though, they join the military and never return. Ericson said life moves on without them but he said the community must always remember their sacrifices.
"Today we honor all of these loses and sacrifice of our loved ones," he said.
The parade started at the Old Forge at 2 p.m. and traveled down Main Street to the cemetery. The parade features the Vietnam Veterans of America, the Lanesborough American Legion, Lanesborough, and Hancock Fire Departments, Lanesborough Police, the Shriners, youth spot teams, the Mount Greylock Regional High School band, the Sheriff's Office, Council on Aging, and the Agricultural Council.
Donald "Digger" Clairmont was the grand marshal. The 90-year-old Clairmont had been the highway superintendent for 37 years before retiring. He also served as the assistant fire chief and then worked part-time with the Police Department.
The ceremony included speeches, the laying of a wreath by Liam Seddon, prayer led by Rev. Noreen Suriner, Taps and the national anthem played by the Mount Greylock Regional High School band, and rifle salute by the Dalton Rifle Team. The master of ceremonies was Robert Reilly.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.
Your Comments
iBerkshires.com welcomes critical, respectful dialogue. Name-calling, personal attacks, libel, slander or foul language is not allowed. All comments are reviewed before posting and will be deleted or edited as necessary.
No Comments
Berkshire Wind Power Cooperative Corporation Scholarships
LUDLOW, Mass. — For the third year, Berkshire Wind Power Cooperative Corporation (BWPCC) will award scholarships to students from Lanesborough and Hancock.
The scholarship is open to seniors at Mount Greylock Regional High School and Charles H. McCann Technical School. BWPCC will select two students from the class of 2024 to receive $1,000 scholarships.
The scholarships will be awarded to qualifying seniors who are planning to attend either a two- or four-year college or trade school program. Seniors must be from either Hancock or Lanesborough to be considered for the scholarship. Special consideration will be given to students with financial need, but all students are encouraged to apply.
The BWPCC owns and operates the Berkshire Wind Power Project, a 12 turbine, 19.6-megawatt wind farm located on Brodie Mountain in Hancock and Lanesborough. The non-profit BWPCC consists of 16 municipal utilities located in Ashburnham, Boylston, Chicopee, Groton, Holden, Hull, Ipswich, Marblehead, Paxton, Peabody, Russell, Shrewsbury, Sterling, Templeton, Wakefield, and West Boylston, and their joint action agency, the Massachusetts Municipal Wholesale Electric Company (MMWEC).
To be considered, students must submit all required documents including a letter of recommendation from their school counselor and a letter detailing their educational and professional goals. Application and submission details will be shared with students via their school counselors. The deadline to apply is Friday, April 19.
MMWEC is a not-for-profit, public corporation and political subdivision of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts created by an Act of the General Court in 1975 and authorized to issue tax-exempt debt to finance a wide range of energy facilities. MMWEC provides a variety of power supply, financial, risk management and other services to the state's consumer-owned, municipal utilities.
Taylor Garabedian scored a team-high 22 points and grabbed five rebounds, and Abby Scialabba scored 16 points for the ‘Canes, who got 16 points, nine rebounds and four assists from Ashlyn Lesure. click for more
On Saturday afternoon at Lowell’s Tsongas Center, the Hurricanes will take aim at Division 5 State Championships in girls and boys basketball. click for more
Pittsfield High's Matt Dupuis and Lee's Bella Kotek Sunday completed a Berkshire County sweep at the State Bowling Championships at Bowlero.
click for more
Emily Holian’s strike to open the 10th frame of the Wildcats’ second game against Worcester Tech all but assured Lee a team title at Bowlero Chicopee.
click for more
Hoosac struggled to get into rhythm on the offensive end until Joey McGovern got the 3-ball working. McGovern finished the game with 21 points including a triple in the fourth quarter that cemented him in the record books. It took him nearly the whole game but he was able to join the 1,000-point... click for more
Pittsfield High's Eliza Mullen won state title and in the giant slalom and slalom, winning the former discipline by 1.6 seconds and the latter by nearly 2.7 seconds.
click for more