🔨 On this Memorial Day
Quilts Honor The Ultimate Sacrifice | The Week Ahead
Hope you all had a relaxing Memorial Day weekend. While it is the big gardening weekend for some, and the unofficial start of summer, it is important we never forget the meaning behind the weekend.
In this issue, I am honoring those who were recognized at Monday’s Memorial Day ceremony in Nevins Hall.
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On this Memorial Day
Framingham’s Memorial Day event on Monday was a poignant reflection on service, community and sacrifice.
Remembering those who paid the ultimate sacrifice: Every year Medals of Liberty are awarded, and new this year is the Medal of Fidelity. Additionally, the names of veterans who had passed away since the previous Memorial Day were read out loud.
What is the Medal of Liberty? Established by the Massachusetts Legislature, the heart shaped medal symbolic of the purple heart with a gold border and a Gold Star at the center, is awarded to to family members of those who were killed in action, died in service while in a combat area in the line of duty or died as a result of wounds received in action.
What is the Medal of Fidelity? Massachusetts Medal of Fidelity is presented to the next of kin of service members or veterans from the Commonwealth who died as the result of either: combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder, condition resulting from a service connected traumatic brain injury or a combat connected disease, condition or injury related to the exposure to harmful toxins, herbicides, agents or materials, where the exposure occurred while serving in the Armed Forces of the United States, active or reserve components, or the Massachusetts National Guard.
Those who were awarded the Medals of Liberty with their brief service biography as provided by the City:
Private First Class James J. Taralli: Resided on Beaver Street when he enlisted in the United States Army National Guard on September 2, 1940.
Enlisted in Battery E, 211th Coast Artillery Regiment (Anti-Aircraft) and served nearly two years in Texas and California. He was transferred to the North Atlantic Army base in Iceland.
Taralli lost his life on September 5, 1942 when he was accidentally killed by discharge of a pistol being cleaned by another soldier.
He was the first Framingham boy to lose his life in foreign service in WWII.
Corporal Daniel Brennan Zinck: Resided on Hastings Street when he enlisted in the United States Marines Corps in October 1981.
He was a member of the Okinawa-based Marine Amphibious Force of the 3rd Marine Division, which was taking part in the annual US-South Korean joint military maneuvers called Team Spirit. Team Spirit maneuvers involve approximately 207,000 South Koreans and 60,050 Americans service members and is intended to increase the combat readiness of the two countries’ air, amphibious, ground, naval and special operations forces.
Zinck died while on Team Spirit 84, on March 24, 1984, during a “night insertion” maneuver, in which Marines are inserted behind enemy lines, ended tragically as the CH53D Sea Stallion helicopter in which Corporal Zinck was riding crashed in inclement weather.
Sergeant Erick Adolph Sax: Resided on Winter Street.
He went overseas September 28, 1942, and was with the 85th Fighter Squadron, 79th Fighter Group, a fighter squadron that had fought in support of the British 8th Army in its successful drive from Egypt, to merge with American, French, and British forces driving from Algiers.
On March 2, 1943, the 85th Fighter Squadron, 79th Fighter Group, was transferred to Tunisia for the drive against the Axis there. Sergeant Sax's duty was as a supply specialist for his squadron.
Sergeant Sax gave the ultimate sacrifice on May 15, 1943, during the Tunisian campaign when he was killed in a car accident in Tunisia, North Africa.
Captain Gilbert Stevenson Portmore: Resided on Lincoln Street.
He survived 19 months of action in the Southwest Pacific against the Japanese. He was a fighter pilot of a P-40 Warhawk and hero of 100 combat missions when Portmore was attached to the 5th Air Force, 49th Fighter Group, 7th Fighter Squadron.
Captain Portmore was awarded the Silver Star, Purple Heart, Distinguished Flying Cross, and the Air Medal for Meritorious Achievement.
When he came back to the States in July 1943, he was attached to the 73rd Ferrying Squadron, 21st Ferry Group.
Captain Gilbert S. Portmore gave the ultimate sacrifice on January 2, 1944, when the B-24H Liberator he was co-piloting crashed into Missionary Ridge in Tennessee while on a combat training mission from Palm Springs to Chattanooga, Tennessee killing all three on board.
First Lieutenant Gilbert Kaufman: Resided on Arlington Street.
First Lieutenant Kaufman was in the service for four years and overseas for five months where he was attached to the 91st Army Air Forces Base Unit, 68th Army Airways Communication Systems Group as a navigator.
Kaufman died on June 12, 1945, when the Douglas C-47A he was navigating departed Fremantle, Western Australia on an administrative flight to Hollandia, Dutch New Guinea. The plane, with four crew, was not seen or heard from after take-off and did not reach its destination.
Accepting the Medal on behalf of First Lieutenant Gilbert Kaufman was his grandson, Retired U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer Five Harold W. Griffin., III from Silver Spring, Maryland, who was the keynote speaker at the ceremony.
Private First Class Raymond Otis Gould: Resided on Cedar Street.
He was employed by the Stevedoring Corporation when he was drafted into the United States Army on April 8, 1944 at Fort Devens. Gould was attached to the 357th Infantry Regiment, 90th Infantry Division of General Patton’s 3rd Army.
Private First Class Raymond Otis Gould gave the ultimate sacrifice on February 14, 1945 in Germany when he was Killed in Action.
Private First Class Frederick Benjamin McGlauflin: Resided on Clark Street
He served for 6 years at Fort Hamilton, Fort Wright in New York, Fort Holabird in Maryland and was assigned to army schools and he became a specialist in diesel engines.
After two enlistments, he returned to civilian life. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, he reentered the service on December 18, 1942. He was attached to the B Company, 121st Engineering Combat Battalion.
Private First Class McGlauflin gave the ultimate sacrifice on August 6, 1943 in England, when he drowned during night amphibious training exercises in preparation for D-Day. He was the eighth Framingham soldier to die in the country’s service.
Machinist Hoyett Arthur Waters: Waters was a career sailor. Prior to the World War II, he served in the United States Navy for 17 years.
Waters was serving on the destroyer, USS Luce, when she was targeted by two Japanese special attack aircraft on May 4, 1945, off Okinawa. The Luce was able to down the first Japanese Aircraft, but not until it was close enough to the Luce, that its explosion caused general power failures aboard the ship.
Moments later, the Luce was struck by the second special attack aircraft in the aft section on the port side, knocking out the port engine, jamming the rudder, and causing flooding.
The Luce exploded as she sank. Of the 312 on board, 126 were killed in the attack and the sinking.
Machinist Waters gave the ultimate sacrifice on May 4, 1945, when he was killed in action while serving on the USS Luce.
Seaman Second Class George Albert Moore: Resided on Irving Street. He enlisted in the United States Merchant Marine in October 1942.
He served on the S.S Edmund B. Alexander (U.S. Army Transport), the S.S Hampden and the S.S. William S. Halsted and made several trips to Europe and Africa under convoy at a time when submarine menace was widespread.
He signed onto the American Merchant Tanker SS Gulf Coast as an ordinary seaman in New York, NY on October 4, 1943.
Seaman Second Class George A. Moore gave the ultimate sacrifice on December 1, 1943, when he succumbed to illness while en route from the port of Haifa, Palestine to Alexandria, Egypt.
The individual awarded the Medal of Fidelity:
Specialist Four Robert Bruce Lincoln: Lincoln grew up in Framingham and graduated from Framingham High School in 1963. He served his country honorably as a decorated veteran of the United States Army during the Vietnam War.
During the TET Offensive of 1968 he received The Army Commendation Medal for distinguishing himself by meritorious achievement in connection with ground operations against a hostile force.
For the period of January 31 to February 4, 1968, Specialist Lincoln’s citation read: “Through his untiring efforts and professional ability during a coordinated Viet Cong attack throughout the City of Saigon, Republic of Vietnam, he consistently volunteered his services and contributed to the outstanding manner in which the United States Army Headquarters Area Command was able to accomplish its mission despite sniper fire, mortar and B40 rocket rounds, he assisted materially in the feeding, housing, resupply and maintenance of security for more than 35,000 American military and civilian personnel stationed in the City of Saigon. His commendable performance and devotion to duty has been in the highest tradition of the United States Army and reflect great credit to himself, his unit, and the United States Army”.
Specialist Four Robert Bruce Lincoln gave his final sacrifice on April 13, 2016, from Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis as a result of exposure to Agent Orange while serving his country in the Vietnam War.
Quilts Honor The Ultimate Sacrifice
Around Nevins Hall were 6 quilts, each representing the last six wars from World War I to modern times. These quilts were stunning.
Inspired by family service: These quilts were made by Deanne Joy from Cambridge, and were inspired by her family’s service in the military. Creating the six quilts in five years helped Joy process her emotions after her son enlisted for the National Guard.
On display for one day: Kathy Lang, Framingham’s Veterans’ Services Officer, saw the quilts at a veterans’ event and knew she wanted them displayed for Memorial Day.
Thank you to Kathy Lang and Jen Sawvelle of the VSO, the Framingham Fire Department Honor Guard, the Boys & Girls Scouts, Gray Almeida, Chaplain Robert Anspach, Eric Finn, John Martin, Charlie Rousseau, Mark McClennan, and our elected officials for their work organizing and participating in the Memorial Day ceremony.
The Week Ahead
Tuesday, May 30
7:00 pm City Council Agenda
Wednesday, May 31
Thursday, June 1
7:00 PM: Planning Board Agenda
Thank you for reading! See you on Monday when we tackle the budget, Additional Dwelling Units, and Nobscot is back. It’ll be quite the issue.
Questions? Comments? Please send me an email!