Highway signs rededicated at Nov. 11 ceremony

Date: 11/15/2010

Nov. 15, 2010

By Chris Maza

Reminder Assistant Editor

EAST LONGMEADOW -- The Board of Selectmen unveiled new Massachusetts Highway signs, which read, "Veterans' Highway" at the Veterans' Day service that took place in front of city hall on Nov. 11.

The selectmen voted unanimously on Sept. 7 to change the name of the stretch of Route 83 that runs through the town. One sign will be placed at the border of Springfield and the other will be located at the Connecticut border.

Since it is a state highway, in order to have signage reflecting a road's name, it had to be issued by the Massachusetts Highway Department, according to Selectman Jack Villamaino.

"The selectmen voted to rename it Veterans' Highway and we notified the state and asked them if they could supply the signage, spelling that out with the state seal on it," Villamaino said. "There was a lot of back and forth, but finally the signs came through. We wanted to have them in for today and they rushed the delivery to have them here."

Villamaino added that late town resident Emil Raimondi, his wife, Rita, and his son, Richard, deserve "the lion's share of the credit" for the name change and new signs.

According to the American Ex-Prisoners of War, Raimondi was an Army machine gunner for the 30th Division, 117th Infantry. At age 25, he was a German prisoner of war from Aug. 7, 1944 until April 27, 1945 after landing in Normandy, France, six days after D-Day during World War II. His platoon was sent to Mortain, France, to relieve the 1st Division. They were captured and held until liberated by General George Patton's troops.

Rita Raimondi said her husband originally had signs put up with the assistance of former congressman Brian Lees, but they had been down for several years.

Villamaino said both the signs and the effort the Raimondi family put into making them possible are a reflection of a larger community appreciation for veterans.

"For a town of our size, we're very observant," Villamaino said. "We've got a good group of residents that don't forget and that volunteer their time and we're lucky to have them."