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Date: 5/24/2018
CHICOPEE – The Chicopee Memorial and Patriotic Committee unveiled a new War on Terror Memorial on May 19 – honoring six Chicopee men who were killed in the war between 1983 and now.
The dedication took place a week before Memorial Day, which also happened to be Armed Forces Day. The ceremony was scheduled to unfold outside on the Veteran’s Plaza, but had to be moved into the Kevin A. Dupont Middle School auditorium due to inclement weather. Family members of the fallen veterans attended the event, as well as elected officials and high-ranking members from the United States Armed Forces. Mayor Richard J. Kos and Sen. Eric P. Lesser were both in attendance.
Lt. Col. Peter Molin, a retired U.S. Army infantry officer who served for 28 years, was the principal speaker during the ceremony. He delivered a powerful message about the importance of honoring and remembering American veterans.
The mayor also shared some remarks.
“It’s rare to have the opportunity to thank the families who have lost those who have served,” said Kos. “I hope that over the years, the pain has gone away. I hope that the monument will compensate some pain with a sense of pride.”
Some of the other guest speakers included Army National Guard Lt. Col. Thomas Stewart and Maj. Michael Schultz, a commander at the Marine Corps Site Support.
The monument, which is made of granite and has a base of Montana sandstone, features a female in the military kneeling in front of the Fallen Soldier Battle Cross – a symbolic arrangement of a soldier’s boots, helmet, dog tags and gun. It seeks to remind the citizens of Chicopee of the sacrifices made by those who have served in defense of the U.S. during the War on Terror, which dates back to Sept. 11, 2001. The names of six men, all of whom have ties to the city, are engraved onto the base of the memorial. They are:
• Marine Gunnery Sgt. John S. Fredette, 1956 – 1990. He died during a Guerrillas rebel terror strike in Olongapo, Philippines.
• Marine Sgt. Steven B. LaRiviere,1961 – 1983. He was killed in Beirut, Lebanon, when an Islamic Jihad truck bombed the Marine barracks.
• Marine Capt. John W. Maloney, 1968 – 2005. He lost his life while on patrol in Al-Ramadi, Iraq when his HUMVEE was destroyed by a roadside bomb.
• Army Staff Sgt. Daniel A. Newsome, 1979 – 2007. Newsome was killed in action when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle during combat operations in Baghdad, Iraq.
• Army Sgt. Christopher M. Wilson, 1982 – 2007. He succumbed to wounds received during an explosion caused by a propelled grenade in Korengal Outpost on the Afghan – Pakistan border.
• Army 1st Sgt. Kevin A. Dupont, 1956 – 2009. Dupont passed from wounds he suffered while on a combat patrol mission after an IED struck his vehicle in Afghanistan.
Chairman of the Veteran Memorial and Patriotic Committee Delfo Barabani Jr. said it’s important to highlight the two men who were killed before the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks because they were both attacked by terrorists.
Aside from the six names, there are also blank spots on the monument in the unfortunate event more names need to be added in the future.
The monument took three years to come to fruition, and was made possible by a joint effort from both the Chicopee Memorial and Patriotic Committee and the Department of Veterans’ Services. The two joined forces and raised more than $50,000 for the monument.