MEMORIAL DAY ESSAY CONTEST — The Veterans Council of Northampton is sponsoring a youth essay contest with the theme, “What does Memorial Day mean to me?”
The winning essay will be published in a special commemorative insert of the Daily Hampshire Gazette May 22 and will be read at the Memorial Day Parade ceremony in Florence May 28. This year is the 150th anniversary of the parade, the longest continuously run Memorial Day parade in the nation.
All students in Northampton public schools or who are home schooled in Northampton are eligible to enter.
The essay must be the student’s original work and no more than 400 words long. A student’s teacher, counselor or parent may check the essay before it is submitted for punctuation, grammar and/or spelling, but the content must remain the student’s words.
A gift prize will be presented to the author of the winning essay at the Memorial Day parade ceremony.
The deadline for submission is April 20. Send your essay to Central Hampshire Veterans’ Services, 240 Main St., Suite #4, Northampton, MA, 01060-3113. For more information, contact Central Hampshire Veterans’ Services at 587-1299.
Following is a list of local veterans whose obituaries appeared in the Gazette between March 23 and April 5. The information given here about their service is what was provided in each obituary.
William “Bill” Bisbee, 92, Chesterfield, d. March 18; he entered the U.S. Army Second Infantry Division in 1951 and served in Korea. He wrote letters home regularly during his service, which were kept by family members and recently discovered. In 2012, a compilation of his writings, entitled “Letters Home,” was published by his son, Dan, providing an illuminating and humbling commentary on the day to day life during that conflict.
Edward “Ted” Hughes, 83, Worcester, formerly Turners Falls, d. March 6; he served in the U.S. Navy as a lieutenant from 1959 to 1963.
Edward Paul Kaczmarczyk, 94, Easthampton, d. March 26; he was a very proud World War II U.S. Army Veteran and he enlisted on June 2, 1943, at the age of 19. He became part of the 204th Engineer Combat Battalion in Europe and Africa, he had many duties, which included driving a jeep and assisting in the building of bridges. He served in several campaigns including Normandy, Northern France, Rhinelands, Ardennes and Central Europe. He was awarded the Good Conduct Metal, World War II Victory Medal, the European African Middle Eastern Service Medal, Army Occupational Medal and the Rifle Marksman Badge. He was honorably discharged in November of 1945.
Richard W. Riel, 80, Leeds, d. March 27; he served in the U.S. Navy.
Edward “Ed” Toole, 93, Whately, d. March 28; he served with the U.S. Marines from April 1943 to January 1946 in the Solomon Islands campaign and on Okinawa.
Peter Robert Flynn Sr., 85, Northampton, d. March 20; he went into the U.S. Navy from 1954 to 1957 and was both a producer and reporter for the Armed Forces Radio Network.
Joseph F. Cote, 87, Easthampton, d. March 2; he was a Korean War veteran serving with the U.S. Navy.
Francis “Fran” E. Whalen, 88, Florence, d. April 2; he proudly served his country in the U.S. Army, 82nd Airborne Division. He fought in the Korean War and was awarded two Bronze Stars.
Veterans Voice appears twice each month. Send submissions to Veterans Voice, c/o Brenda Nelson, Daily Hampshire Gazette, Box 299, Northampton, MA 01061; or email bnelson@gazettenet.com.