Damp, but remembering our veterans with stars & tributes

Warwick Beacon ·

Mayor Scott Avedisian summed it up perfectly Monday morning as he stood on a platform overlooking West Shore Road at Veterans Memorial Park.

“This is not a great day for a parade…but this pales for what vets have done.”

There was a ripple of laughter followed by somber silence from those damp marchers who lingered following the Warwick Veterans Council sponsored Memorial Day parade for the speaking portion of the event. Speeches were brief. Parade organizer Tony Rodrigues held an umbrella and a contingent of veterans, their rifles protected by plastic bags stood by to perform the customary salute along with the playing of taps. But, as the bugler had to leave for another Memorial Day observance, the salute was canceled.

Nonetheless, there was a twist to Monday morning’s ceremony that was followed in the afternoon by the dedication of a Blue Star Marker donated to the park by the Chatham Village Garden Club. Rain held off for The Blue Star dedication.

In the morning, joined by retired General Reginald Centracchio, Rep. Camille Vella Wilkinson, a retired Navy lieutenant commander announced plans for a Cold War memorial at the park. They and Mayor Avedisian and Ward 3 Councilman Timothy Howe ceremonially broke ground for the memorial that will be located toward the back of the park.

In his remarks Centracchio urged people to “reach out and thank” veterans for their service. He also spoke of the Cuban missile crisis and how incredible close the country came to a nuclear showdown with Russia in October 1962. He said it is appropriate that we don’t forget that time or the cold war that followed and those who were prepared to defend our freedom.

Janice Marcello of the Chatham Village Garden Club served as master of ceremonies for the afternoon ceremony.

Candace Morgenstern, who represented the RI Federation of Garden Clubs and the New England Region of Garden Clubs, told how the National Garden Clubs established thew Blue Star marker program in 1946 to honor both deceased and living veterans. Rhode Island was the first state to dedicate a Blue Star, however, the marker was since lost to road construction. She said ten Blue Star markers have been dedicated in the state since then and the hope is that each of the state’s 30 garden clubs will dedicate a marker.

In a brief history of the Blue Star, Eleanor Hull said the name was selected for the star on flags displayed in homes and businesses donating a family member to serving.

It was a theme picked up by Councilman and veteran Tim Howe who talked of a family’s sacrifice when a member leaves to serve the country.

Avedisian thanked the garden club for its contribution to the community. The city assisted with the memorial, the rock on which the Blue Star plaque is mounted was located by the Department of Public Works.