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05/22/2018 03:00 PMWhat better time to launch a campaign to improve a memorial site than Memorial Day? That’s just what the Chester American Legion, Post 97 is doing. The wooden fence that surrounds the land where the Chester War Memorial is situated is rotting, and it has other problems as well.
“I think it’s been hit [by cars] a couple of times,” Bobby Sumner noted.
Sumner, a member of the legion post, has long served as a caretaker for the property. In addition, he pointed out, there are low spots in the paving in the plaza that need correcting, and, according to post adjutant and administrator Jane Deuse Cable, the flagpole on the property is “showing its age” and needs repair.
The veterans of American Legion Post 97 plan to replace the wooden fence with granite posts connected by a black chain. That will be both a more permanent solution and one which, according to Post 97 Commander Jerry LaMark, will cost less than removing and replacing the current fence with a similar wooden structure.
The land on which the war memorial stands belongs to the town, although the local American Legion Post maintains it. The legionnaires want to raise the funds to make the necessary improvements on their own.
“We don’t want the town to pay for this,” Deuse Cable said. “We want to save them the money by raising the funds ourselves.”
Tax deductible contributions to the fund should be made out to American Legion Post 97, P.O. Box 122, Chester 06412.
The veteran’s memorial actually consists of three different structures; the first, topped by a statue of a doughboy, remembers Chester residents killed in World War I. By its side, a granite marker honors 10 Chester residents who were killed in World War II and pays tribute to the service of veterans of the Korean conflict.
In 2004, the largest of the three monuments, was dedicated, a granite triptych topped by an eagle that lists some 400 names of Chester residents who served in the armed forces in World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and post-Vietnam-era actions.
On a recent morning, members of the American Legion Post 97 met at the memorial site to talk about their renovation plans. They included Sumner, Deuse Cable, LaMark, Keith LaFlair, and Bruce Watrous. Sumner served in the Marines, Deuse Cable as Navy radioman from 1988 to 1971.
“No, there was no such thing as a radiowoman,” she explained.
LaMark and Watrous are U.S. Army veterans and LaFlair is a retired Navy fighter pilot.
Deuse Cable explained her involvement in the military and her subsequent involvement in the American Legion post as a family tradition.
“I joined because my sister, two brothers, father, and uncles all served. Being part of the American Legion means I can give back to those who served,” she noted.
One of the ways she is now giving back as a part of her job as the Post 97 administrator by decorating veterans’ graves at local Chester cemeteries for Memorial Day. She has just put flags on 397 graves, a task she said took her 2 ½ hours. The male legionnaires offered to help, but Cable would have none of it.
“They had done it for years,” she said.
“We offered to,” Sumner offered, and LaMark added, “She kicked us out.”
There are some 40 members of Post 97, including two women, Deuse Cable and Chester First Selectman Lauren Gister, a veteran of the Marine Corps. Deuse Cable said that despite the disparity in the number of males and females, she has no problems in the group.
“Unless they call me Janie,” she adds.
LaMark said younger soldiers don’t join the legion in the numbers that discharged servicemen once did.
“There was a big influx after Vietnam, but it’s a hard sell for veterans of Desert Storm, Afghanistan, and Iraq. I think a lot of them are raising young families and don’t have time to get involved,” he said.
“If there’s a crisis, that’s when people join,” LaFlair added.
The veterans agreed that making improvements to the memorial site will have a benefit for the town, given its location on the corner of Route 154 and Railroad Avenue just before the turn into Chester Main Street.
“It’s the gateway into Chester. It’s the first thing people see as they come into town,” Sumner said.
Watrous pointed to the site’s key location as an introduction to the town and added another thought: “It’s also to honor the people who are listed here and it’s a beautiful place to come sit.”
There are several stone benches around the perimeter.
Deuse Cable said that the veterans are hoping to be able to start on renovation work early this summer.
To contribute to the renovation of the Chester War Memorial site, send a tax-deductible check made out to American Legion Post 97 to: American Legion Post 97, P.O. Box. 122, Chester 06412.