War, terror risk give Memorial Day new significance

BANGOR – Memorial Day’s traditional red, white and blue filled the streets Monday during the annual parade and ceremonies to honor Maine’s 154,000 military veterans. But the yellow ribbons of war and an orange terrorism alert changed the color of this year’s festivities.

When a KC-135E refueling plane from the Maine Air National Guard roared down Main Street, flying low and leading the way for two military helicopters, more than one heart jumped.

Alongside the patriotic bands and marching veterans were little girls performing dance routines in camouflage under a sign reading “God Bless our Troops and our President” and a float full of toddlers labeled “Children for Peace.”

Memories of Iraq, Afghanistan and Sept. 11, 2001, are fresh, and new threats to South Korea and in the Middle East were on many peoples’ minds.

Gov. John Baldacci, Sen. Susan Collins and Rep. Mike Michaud all spoke of the troops in the Middle East during their visits to Bangor on Monday. The governor commented on Monday’s Bangor Daily News front page displaying the faces of the men and women who died in Iraq.

“We recognize that these are people, these 162 faces … and that they have families … It’s about never forgetting. It’s about always remembering the sacrifices,” Baldacci said during a ceremony to lay wreaths in front of the USS Maine memorial in Davenport Park.

Later in the day, Collins spoke of the four Mainers who died in Iraq, “not just in service to this country, but in service to mankind.”

“We are gathered here today because we know that our season of fun should not begin until we pay our respects to those who assured our freedom,” she said.

Rev. Bob Carlson, chaplain for the Bangor police, described the dual nature of Memorial Day: “Let us be ever mindful of the piercing and penetrating power of war … let us also remember that the human heart is held out in hope.”

After noon, when flags were again raised to their full height, people celebrated both the victory in Iraq and the 100th birthday of patriotic comedian Bob Hope.

More than 300 veterans of World War II paraded through Bangor, then spent the afternoon with friends and family, listening to the Nokomis Regional High School jazz band perform big band tunes at the Maine State World War II Monument in front of the Cole Land Transportation Museum.

“This is a group of survivors,” said Galen Cole of Bangor, who served in Germany with the Army’s Fifth Armored Division. This year, Cole, who perennially arranges a Memorial Day barbecue and celebration for WWII vets, wanted to honor Hope, whom he called “America’s head cheerleader.”

Despite a network of cellular and satellite phones, efforts to reach Bob Hope’s son Kelly with a birthday greeting for his father were unsuccessful. However, hundreds of veterans and their families signed a card.

“He has honored us,” Cole said. “We wanted to spruce him up a little bit.”