Stories in ‘Quiet Courage’ profile Mainers who served in armed forces

They are but 89 of the thousands of Maine men and women who have served in the military over the years.

Over the years, I’ve interviewed several of the veterans profiled in “Quiet Courage: Stories of the Unselfish Dedication of Maine Veterans,” written by Don Colson and published by Cole Land Transportation Museum in Bangor.

I’ve visited the World War II Memorial in Washington with Del Hainer and Fran Zelz and the late Tom Hardy and others, and I’ve walked to Charlie Flanagan’s grave in Mount Pleasant Cemetery numerous times.

How good it is to have a book that tells the stories of these men and women. I’m sure that even decades from now, people will be picking up this book to learn a little more about our veterans. These are the 89 profiled in the book:

Desert Wars and Terrorism: Dustin James Harris, Brian Smith, Deborah Alley, William Jones Jr., Gary Gordon (Medal of Honor), Peter & John D’Errico.

Vietnam: Russell P. Treadwell, Charles “Chuck” V. Knowlen, the Rev. Robert V. Reagan, John W. Wallace, John Henry Cashwell III, Edward Leonard, Alexander “Sandy” Stymiest, Tom Kelly III, Kenneth “Kill Joy” Battista, Peter Doak, John E. Moore, Richard W. King, Charles A. McClead, Clair Bemis, Richard E. Giffard.

Korean War: Lewis “Red” Millett (Medal of Honor), Paul R. Curtis, Albert Gibson, Alfred L. Meister, Dugald “Doug” Kell Sr., Delores Theriault Hainer.

World War II: Thomas Nolan Hardy Sr., Everett Pope (Medal of Honor), Delmont “Del” Merrill, William “Bill” Knight, Andrew & Ruby Maliszewski, Philip T. Clukey, Burleigh V. Shorey, Charles Titcomb, William Hutchinson, Harry Treworgy, Frank & Barbara Jewell, Louis P. Pare, William Park, Robert E. Glidden, Paul Marshall Wilbur, Frances “Fran” Zelz, Raymond Lee Perkins Jr., Randolph Adams, Jay Zeamer Jr. (Medal of Honor), Norma Tewksbury Ooghe, Thomas Newman, Dr. William L. Daniels, Donald Collins, Charles A. Flanagan, Thomas S. Flanagan, George C. Benjamin, Carroll Frye, Raymond Edward Vear, Ralph E. Goss, Leon F. Higgins II, Earl R. Kingsbury, Wally LaFountain, John L. “Jack” Parrish, James Aldrich, Willard Prior-Crofoot, Earnest S. Scott, Nolan Gibbs, Norman R. Rossignol, Kenneth Ferland, Earle L. Aucoin, Albert W.B. Ripley, Edgar B. Brown, Charles Henry Stevens, Shady Blackwell, Donald R. Swett, Harold D. Crosby Jr., Russell Bartlett Cross, William Eben Cross Jr., George Linwood Cross, William H. Drisko and Galen Cole.

You can purchase “Quiet Courage” for $20 at the Cole Land Transportation Museum, 405 Perry Road, Bangor. Purchase the book and take a free tour of the museum, open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily until Nov. 11.

You won’t believe how many vehicles are in the museum, from doll carriages to a train engine. My favorite is the snowplow from Sangerville.

To show your appreciation of our veterans, watch the Brewer-Bangor Fourth of July Parade at 11 a.m. Wednesday.

Saturday, Sept. 22, where will you be? The right answer, of course, is “Footprints in Time: Discovering Your Ancestors Lives,” at the Bangor Civic Center.

Fabulous speakers are scheduled, and you can save money by pre-registering before Aug. 31. Visit www.maineroots.org or contact Dale Mower at dale-mower-family.com. If you do not have e-mail or Web access, call Dale at 942-9375 and he will mail you a brochure.

The Washington County Genealogical Society has put out a wonderful spring issue of its newsletter, Weirs & Woods, including some resources for Machias area research.

Washington County census records, 1790-1920, are on microfilm at the University of Maine at Machias Library, which is open 8 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays in the summer. There is a microfilm reader, but no printer.

Indexed probate records for Washington County, beginning in 1784, are at the Washington County Courthouse, 8 a.m.-4 p.m. weekdays, 47 Court St. About half of the county’s 600 bound volumes of Washington newspapers have been put on microfilm so far, and there is a reader-printer.

Machias is a small town, and things are easy to find there. It’s a great place for a day trip.

And while you’re there, do visit the Burnham Tavern Museum, home of Hannah Weston Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution. The museum is open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays and by appointment.

Membership to WCGS is $10 a year, sent to PCGS in care of Christine Small, P.O. Box 28, East Machias, ME 04654.

Send genealogy queries to Family Ties, Bangor Daily News, P.O. Box 1329, Bangor, ME 04402; or familyti@bangordailynews.net.