Korean War vets mark 10th anniversary of memorial

BANGOR – With the wind rustling the trees, and ducks in the nearby pond softly quacking, a group of Korean War veterans gathered on a beautiful Friday morning to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the dedication of Maine’s official Korean War Memorial in Mount Hope Cemetery.

The ceremony was a time for reflection, both for the sacrifices made by the men and women who served in Korea and for those involved in memorializing them through the simple but effective stone monument erected 10 years ago in Bangor.

Ken Buckley, a member of the Burton-Goode-Sargent Chapter of the Korean War Veterans Association and co-founder of the memorial team, gave a speech reminiscing about the efforts in the early 1990s to raise funds for the memorial, which eventually amounted to $55,000.

“We did everything from raffles to working at a burger joint to raise money,” Buckley recalled.

Early efforts were stalled when the original proposed site for the memorial, at the Maine Veterans’ Memorial Cemetery in Augusta, no longer became an option. After several possible locations, the memorial team came across the perfect spot – right in Bangor’s Mount Hope Cemetery.

Buckley said it would be difficult to thank everyone involved in the construction of the monument, since so many were involved. Two individuals stuck out during the ceremony, however.

Ralph Foster, a Hermon resident and member of the BGS chapter, said Steve Burrill, superintendent of Mount Hope, offered the site at no cost to the veterans.

“He donated this space,” said Foster. “He and his father and grandfather were always very conscious of the military. Without his efforts, we probably would not have this memorial at all.”

Foster said Burrill, who could not be reached for comment, didn’t like to boast, but preferred rather to let his contributions speak for themselves.

The other notable figure in the development of the monument was Robert Haskell, a Deer Isle resident and an avid fundraiser and supporter of Korean War veterans and of the memorial.

A new stone bench at the memorial was dedicated to Haskell, an army veteran who died in December 2004. Haskell’s daughter, Maria Duddy, and her two sons, Michael, 9, and Patrick, 8, unveiled the addition.

“As soon as he heard about the memorial, he got right into it. He was just gung ho about everything to do with veterans,” Duddy said. “He went about everything 100 percent.”

Haskell’s older brother, Wilson, was also on hand.

“There was never a time when [Robert] wasn’t trying to raffle off something,” the elder Haskell said. “He raised a lot of money for this memorial.”

Edward “Budda” Fonseca, a Brooklyn, N.Y., native who now lives in Lowell, Mass., came up for the 10th anniversary ceremony because he knew Haskell, albeit quite some time after both ended their tours in Korea.

“We were in the same outfit in Korea, but in different years,” Fonseca said. “I met Bob here in Maine at the dedication of the memorial, and we got to talking and we realized we were in the same outfit, the 40th Infantry.”

Since 1995, Maine Korean War veterans have continued to be involved in the upkeep of the memorial and in community events.

Six of the area veterans went to Korea several years ago, accompanied by Yong Cha Jones, a native of Inchon who moved to the United States when she was 25. Jones had been instrumental in the addition of several stone benches honoring the mothers and wives of the men who fought in Korea.

With the perpetual care fund for the memorial amounting to more than $30,000, the legacy is safe.

Those who want to memorialize a Korean War veteran or a veteran of any war may purchase a stone for the walkway by contacting the superintendent’s office of the Burton-Goode-Sargent Chapter.