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Charlie O'Brien, left, and Maureen Baran of Adams Community Bank meet with the Fallen Heroes committee Tuesday afternoon at Adams Town Hall.

Adams' Fallen Heroes Project Finds A Sponsor

By Jeff SnoonianiBerkshires Staff
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ADAMS, Mass. — The "Banners for Fallen Heroes" project has found a sponsor. 
 
The project, which will honor Adams' servicemen and -women killed while serving the country with a banner hanging from utility poles through downtown, caught the eye of Adams Community Bank and it has stepped up to cover the associated costs.
 
"This is a no-brainer for our hometown. We know there will be some press obviously but we're not looking for that. This was something that was just right to do," said President and CEO Charlie O'Brien at this week's Fallen Heroes committee meeting. "These people have served our country so well, so nobly. Once we got some of the details everything just fell into place. It was something we had to do. We're happy and honored to be part of this project."
 
Selectman James Bush is part of the group and had trouble believing what he was hearing when he got the call from Senior Vice President of Lending Maureen Baran.
 
"It's the best news I've gotten in years! I had to pinch myself to believe it. This is awesome," Bush said.
 
Baran was surprised at how much the small group had already accomplished in such a short time period. The group was formed in late 2019.
 
"I was impressed from the first conversation with Jim at how far you guys had come. How much you had got done. You had who would do the banners, estimated cost, locations, Verizon permission. It had just hit iBerkshires when Charlie called me," she said. 
 
 The goal is to start production in March and get the banners hung before Memorial Day. The group wants to hold an opening ceremony roughly a week before the Holiday so they don't interfere with the  annual Adams Memorial Day parade. 
 
The banners, featuring a photo of the deceased along with their rank and branch in which they served, will be displayed from Memorial Day until Veterans Day. The committee has received just under 10 applications so far. Since there will be a picture of the deceased on the banner, permission in the form of a waiver is needed from the family to get included.
 
Anyone who is interested in participating can visit or call Adams Town Hall at 413-743-8300, Ext. 100, or the American Legion at 413-743-1469 and ask about the Fallen Heroes project. There is no cutoff date but in order to be part of the initial installation and ceremony, the group recommends getting in touch as soon as possible as the banners will be going into production soon. 

Tags: veterans memorial,   

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Berkshire County Reflects on a Rainy Memorial Day

Staff WritersiBerkshires

Pittsfield holds its services at Pittsfield Cemetery on Monday. See more photos here.

ADAMS, Mass. — Memorial Day was initially to remember the lives lost in the Civil War, eventually coming to honor all those servicemen and women who sacrificed for their country over more than 250 years.

Sgt. First Class Brian Bergeron, keynote speaker at Adams' observances in the Visitors Center, invoked the county's 21st century losses on Monday: Army Sgt. 1st Class Daniel H. Petithory of Cheshire; Army Sgt. Glenn R. Allison of Pittsfield; Army Chief Warrant Officer Stephen M. Wells of North Egremont; Army Spc. Michael R. DeMarsico II of North Adams; Army Spc. Mitchell K. Daehling of Dalton, and Air Force Staff Sgt. Jacob Galliher of Pittsfield.
 
"We carry the memory of the Berkshire County residents who gave their lives in Vietnam. Young men like Specialist Kevin Hallam and Lance Corporal David Bory Fitzfield, and so many others from Dalton, Adams, Great Berrington, Lee, and towns across our hills, their names are etched on our local memorials, on our memorial skating rink, and on our hearts," he said. 
 
Bergeron is an 18-year veteran of the Massachusetts Army National Guard, and was deployed multiple times for Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. He is currently assigned as the regional team leader of the Western Massachusetts Recruiting and Retention Battalion, and serves as the Westover Recruit Sustainment Program drill sergeant.
 
"Those warriors gave everything for the country they loved, for the Constitution they swore to uphold, and for the people of the United States, who bask in the freedom provided them by these brave soldiers. Think of the young soldiers who left a small town much like ours, never to return," he said.
 
"So let us leave here today with more than words. Let us commit to live lives worthy of their sacrifice, to cherish the freedoms they defend, to teach our children a true cost of living, and to ensure that their stories are told, their names are spoken, their legacy endurance."
 
Adams had joined Dalton, North Adams and Williamstown in canceling its parade because of the cold, rainy weather. Instead, dozens of residents and veterans gathered at the Visitors Center to hear Hoosac Valley High students Sophie Wilson and Genevieve Lagess read "In Flanders Fields" and the Gettysburg Address, respectively. The Hoosac Valley band played "The Star-Spangled Banner" and Fred Lora, School Committee chair and retired Army lieutenant colonel, was master of ceremonies. 
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