Bernardston veterans honored at Cushman Park memorial

Marvin Shedd, chairman of the Veterans Memorial Committee, speaking at the Bernardston Veterans Memorial rededication ceremony on Saturday, Sept. 14.

Marvin Shedd, chairman of the Veterans Memorial Committee, speaking at the Bernardston Veterans Memorial rededication ceremony on Saturday, Sept. 14. STAFF PHOTO/ERIN-LEIGH HOFFMAN

Karen (left) and Mark Fitzpatrick at the newly added Afghanistan and Iraq War stone memorial. Their sons, Justin and Sean Fitzpatrick, are the first names to be added to the memorial for veterans who served following the memorial’s first dedication in 2002.

Karen (left) and Mark Fitzpatrick at the newly added Afghanistan and Iraq War stone memorial. Their sons, Justin and Sean Fitzpatrick, are the first names to be added to the memorial for veterans who served following the memorial’s first dedication in 2002. STAFF PHOTO/ERIN-LEIGH HOFFMAN

The new stone added to the Bernardston Veterans Memorial in Cushman Park that has a portion of a letter by Vietnam veteran and POW Leonard Eastman which was read at the memorial site’s first dedication in 2002.

The new stone added to the Bernardston Veterans Memorial in Cushman Park that has a portion of a letter by Vietnam veteran and POW Leonard Eastman which was read at the memorial site’s first dedication in 2002. STAFF PHOTO/ERIN-LEIGH HOFFMAN

U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern delivering his remarks during the Bernardston Veterans Memorial rededication ceremony on Saturday, Sept. 14.

U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern delivering his remarks during the Bernardston Veterans Memorial rededication ceremony on Saturday, Sept. 14. STAFF PHOTO/ERIN-LEIGH HOFFMAN

Community members, veterans and local and state officials attend the rededication ceremony for the Bernardston Veterans Memorial at Cushman Park. Two new memorial stones and three dedicated benches were added to the park through a Veterans' Heritage Grant.

Community members, veterans and local and state officials attend the rededication ceremony for the Bernardston Veterans Memorial at Cushman Park. Two new memorial stones and three dedicated benches were added to the park through a Veterans' Heritage Grant. STAFF PHOTO/ERIN-LEIGH HOFFMAN

By ERIN-LEIGH HOFFMAN

Staff Writer

Published: 09-14-2024 8:50 PM

BERNARDSTON — The Bernardston Veterans Memorial at Cushman Park celebrated new additions to the memorial on Saturday, including two new stones at the memorial and three dedicated granite benches.

The re-dedication ceremony was attended by around 35 people and meant to rededicate the site to veterans who’ve served since the memorial was first opened in 2002.

Two brothers, Justin and Sean Fitzpatrick, were added to the new stone memorial for their service in both the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. The other new stone has a portion of a letter read at the 2002 dedication written by Vietnam Veteran and Prisoner of War Leonard Eastman, along with an 1862 proclamation of support by the Bernardston Selectmen in support of the Union during the American Civil War.

Marvin Shedd, chairman of the Veterans Memorial Committee, explained during his opening remarks how since the memorial was first created more than two decades ago, new names needed to be added to memorial.

“We needed a new stone because we ran out of room,” Shedd said during his remarks. “But we haven’t run out of veterans.”

Since the initial dedication, and a 2023 call for veterans to come forward for their names to be added to the memorial, only the Fitzpatrick brothers have been added. Shedd hopes that from this memorial dedication, more veterans will come forward to have their names added to the memorial.

“It’s hard these days because of privacy issues to get those names, but what happens is now that we’ve got this stone up there, people will say, ‘Hey, I want my name on there,’” Shedd said. “They’ll surface, so eventually we’ll add any name that comes up.”

Mark and Karen Fitzpatrick, the parents of the brothers added to the memorial wall, said they are proud to see their names.

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“It’s almost surreal,” Mark said, with Karen adding “It’s wonderful that Marvin, his son Danny and Stan [Garland] got this done. It’s a wonderful memorial.”

Mark Fitzpatrick said he feels connected to this memorial for the inclusion of his sons, and also for his involvement with the Upper Pioneer Valley Veterans Service prior to his retirement.

“Before I retired, I was veterans services for Franklin County, so it’s very nice,” Fitzpatrick said. “There’s a lot of pride in the crowd for our veterans, and that’s important.”

Justin Fitzpatrick first entered the service in the U.S. Army as a combat soldier. He entered the war as part of the first deployment of troops in 2003. Sean would later join the Army a few years later in Afghanistan. Both brothers are living with family outside of Massachusetts, and Karen Fitzpatrick said they were both appreciative of the dedication.

Outside of the two stone memorials, three benches also were added to the site, with one dedicated to Bernardston resident Ada Andrews and her sons who served in Vietnam. Shedd hopes that these benches add to the site for people to reflect in a peaceful location on not only the sacrifices made by the soldiers, but also the sacrifices made by their families. A bench also was dedicated to the late Louella Atherton for her work at the Bernardston Historical Museum.

The addition of the two stones and the benches was made possible through the Veterans’ Heritage grant the town was awarded in 2022. The Bernardston Selectboard approved American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to cover the remaining balance.

Toward the conclusion of the ceremony, U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern spoke, and pointed to how honoring veterans through memorials is just one part of honoring their service.

“It is through memorials and monuments like this that we honor them, but more importantly, we honor them by giving back to our community,” McGovern said.

Following his remarks, McGovern also noted that as a member of Congress, he feels privileged to be surrounded by community members and has worked to support legislation that would help veterans.

“I fought very hard for the passage of the PACT Act for example, and now we’re fighting hard to make sure that it gets adequately funded,” McGovern said. “So this is certainly one of the highlights of my weekend here, and I feel privileged to be in the company of members of this community.”

Erin-Leigh Hoffman can be reached at ehoffman@recorder.com or 413-930-4231.