Town of Barre dedicates new 9/11 memorial ten years in the making
Veterans and civilians came together on Memorial Day to formally dedicate the town's latest war memorial.
It's a powerful remembrance of the thousands of lives lost in the global war on terror.
Dennis Fleming, along with many others, helped complete a mission ten years in the making.
Fleming recalled the horrific events of 9/11.
'I was at the dentist's office over here and from the time I left my house and went to the dentist, the first plane had already hit and they're watching it on tv and I'm standing there and all of a sudden, a second plane hit and you know the rest of that is history," Fleming said.
A history now etched in blocks of granite.
'I think for us, our generation, being the children of 'The Greatest Generation,' this is our Pearl Harbor,' Fleming said.
As a marine, Barre's Police Chief James Sabourin was stationed in Hawaii on 9/11.
'I can remember a lot of confusion and then we deployed shortly thereafter,' he said. 'So I am a veteran of the global war on terror. It's a little surreal looking at a memorial like that come together.'
Sabourin says the memorial fills his heart with pride and it makes him proud of the town.
To help fund the project, a favorite brick program was established and donations were accepted.
Carved into the statues are the times the towers were hit. Behind the towers are subway rails recovered from the lower level of the World Trade Center complex.
To the left is the Pennsylvania monument for the lives lost in Shanksville on United Airlines Flight 93, along with the last words spoken by passengers and crew, 'let's roll.'
Finally, the memorial pays tribute to the lives lost in the Pentagon crash.
Barre native William O'Donnell, a Navy veteran, was in the Pentagon on 9/11.
When he heard about the tribute, he offered up a piece of the Pentagon which is now housed at the memorial in Barre.
'I think it's something the entire town and area can be proud of,' O'Donnell said. 'And they did it out of the goodness of their hearts.'
Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Yahoo
Charlotte native serves with the next generation of Navy rescue swimmers
PENSACOLA, FL (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — A Charlotte native serving in the U.S. Navy is learning crucial skills needed to perform rescues in extreme situations. Airman Keira Makkar is a 2023 Myers Park High School graduate, who joined the Navy six months ago. Makkar now serves as a student rescue swimmer at the Aviation Rescue Swimmer School. At the Naval Air Station Pensacola, rescue swimmers learn aviation water survival training and become CPR certified. They're also taught how to execute life-or-death rescues in extreme conditions. 'I joined the Navy looking for other opportunities,' Makkar said. 'I was looking for a positive change that would challenge me and set me up for a better future.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
12 of the most unique Michigan high school mascots
The wildcats. The panthers. The eagles. Dozens of high school teams are named for those iconic animals. But what about the Doughboys, the Chix or the Nimrods? With hundreds of schools across Michigan, some school leaders saw an opportunity for creativity. So we've compiled some of the most unique school nicknames across the state. You can find a full list from the Michigan High School Athletic Association here. A spoiler: Many Michigan high schools get their athletic nicknames from wartime or, in a uniquely Michigan fashion, from automotive themes. The high school adopted the gremlins name in 1948, changing from their previous mascot, the Orange, according to the Keweenaw Community Foundation. The name was suggested by a principal who had served as a pilot in World War I, interested in stories about "gremlins" harassing pilots in World War II. Pilots in the war jokingly blamed problems in the air on mischievous gremlins. A dreadnought (spelled differently than the mascot, for a reason that is not apparent) is a type of battleship, according to Brittanica. Dexter's school nickname, like Houghton's, likely comes from wartime, too, according to Dexter's The Sun Times News, following the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. Doughboy was once a nickname for Gen. John Pershing's troops in World War I; therein lies the origin of Pershing High's mascot, according to The National World War I Museum and Memorial. Pershing opened in 1930, named after the general. Railsplitter was once a nickname for Abraham Lincoln on the campaign trail, according to Dickinson University. The town's history as the "chick capital" of the Midwest, as well as its history as a town for duck hatcheries, explains the town's high school mascots, according to the Holland Sentinel. While Nimrod can be slang for "idiot," the name also has biblical roots, where a nimrod was a "mighty hunter" in the Old Testament, according to a state news release celebrating Watersmeet High's unique nickname. ESPN once named the Nimrods the third best high school sports nickname. A marauder is traditionally known as someone who raids and plunders from place to place, according to Merriam-Webster. While it's unclear why the high school bears the Marauder name, the mascot has been in place since 1967. According to the city of Mount Clemens, it was the mineral bath industry that made the city a destination for health spas and likely where the school gets its nickname. Mount Clemens has since ceased using the battling bathers mascot, but it lives on as a historical image. A flivver is a nickname for the Model T, Ford's universal automobile. According to the Michigan High School Athletic Association, Kingsford has had the Flivver as a mascot since the early 1930s, when there was a Ford plant in the area. The leader of an iron mining company in the area near the town of Gwinn decided the town should be a model town for miners to live in, eventually leading to the high school's unusual nickname, according to the Gwinn Chamber of Commerce. Hematite is an iron-oxide mineral, according to the Virtual Museum of Minerals and Molecules. Ishpeming is a mining town, which is where the nickname for the school came from, according to Sports Illustrated coverage of its 2012 high school football season. The high school's name came from Henry Ford, who developed the Fordson tractor for farmers. The tractor became Fordson's mascot, one of the most unique in the state. Contact Lily Altavena: laltavena@ This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: 12 of the most unique Michigan high school mascots
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
When is Juneteenth 2025? Is there mail? Are banks closed? All about the federal holiday
It's known as America's Second Independence Day, and it's coming soon. Juneteenth celebrates the end of slavery in the United States. It's the longest-running African American holiday, and it became a federal holiday a few years ago. Here's what to know about the holiday. Yes, Juneteenth is a federal holiday in 2025, according to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. It is one of 11 federal holidays observed every year. The others are: New Year's Day Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Washington's Birthday/Presidents Day Memorial Day July 4 Labor Day Columbus Day Veterans Day Thanksgiving Christmas Day Juneteenth will be marked on Thursday, June 19, 2025. Unlike other federal holidays, such as Memorial Day, Labor Day and Thanksgiving, which are observed on a specific day of the week, Juneteenth is celebrated on the actual day. Juneteenth commemorates the day — June 19, 1865 — when federal soldiers arrived in Galveston to take control of Texas and ensure the slaves were freed per the Emancipation Proclamation, according to the History Channel. Juneteenth — short for June nineteenth — marks the end of slavery in the United States and is considered the longest-running African American holiday. Juneteenth is a portmanteau of June 19, the day Union troops arrived in Galveston. It became known as "Juneteenth" by the newly freed slaves of Texas, according to the National Museum of African American History & Culture at the Smithsonian. President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on Jan. 1, 1863. But its effect was limited, according to the National Archives. It only applied to states that seceded during the Civil War, leaving slavery intact for slave states that stayed with the Union. It also could not be enforced until Confederate states were under Union control, according to the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Therefore, it took until June 19, 1865, for slaves in Texas to be freed. Slavery in America was formally abolished with the 13th Amendment, which was ratified Dec. 6, 1865. Juneteenth became a federal holiday in 2021. President Joe Biden signed legislation on June 17, 2021, according to USA TODAY, after Congress passed The Juneteenth National Independence Day Act that same month. Juneteenth began rising to prominence in 2020 after the murder of George Floyd, a Black man, sparked protests across the country against police brutality, USA TODAY reports. Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., first introduced the Juneteenth bill in 2020 following the killings of Floyd and Breonna Taylor of Louisville, Kentucky. His initial attempt to pass the bill was unsuccessful. No. As a federal holiday, the U.S. Postal Service is closed that day, and there will be no mail delivered. FedEx pickup and delivery services will be available on June 19, according to the company's website. FedEx Office locations will also be open, USA TODAY reports. Juneteenth is a Federal Reserve bank holiday, meaning the organization that regulates the nation's banking system is closed, according to Banks aren't required to close for Federal Reserve holidays, but they often do. Transactions made during these holidays won't be posted until the next business day. Branches of Capital One, Bank of America, PNC, Truist, CitiBank and JPMorgan Chase will be closed on Juneteenth, USA TODAY is reporting. Capital One Cafes will remain open. The New York Stock Exchange is closed on federal holidays and will be closed on Juneteenth, according to its website. Trash pickup may be delayed because of Juneteenth, depending on the hauler. Contact your municipality or private provider to learn more. This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: When is Juneteenth 2025? Is there mail? Will banks be open? What to know
