In anticipation of Veterans Day on Sunday, Nov. 11, all schools in Darien have been honoring our veterans.
It is a day where those whom our children know as father, mother, grandfather, grandmother, aunt & uncle, brother or sister, can be recognized as people whose sacrifice and willingness to serve our country, exemplify the qualities we should instill in our children.
— article submitted by David E. Polett, chairman, Darien Monuments and Ceremonies Commission; photos from the Darien Public Schools News of the Week newsletter
In 1918, the cessation of fighting on the Western Front occurred at 11 a.m. Paris time, on the 11th day of the 11th month. This was in accordance with the armistice signed at 5 a.m. that morning in Compiegne, France.
In 1919 ceremonies were held in the United States, England, France and Belgium to commemorate the date and time of the implementation of the armistice agreement.
Since 1954, we commemorate it as Veterans Day, observed at the 11th hour, of the 11th day of the 11th month. This year is the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Armistice.
While Veterans Day is a reminder to thank those living veterans we see in our daily lives, it is also a time to remember those who have left us and the legacy of honor and devotion they have given us.
Darien lost eight men in World War I.
Six of them died of disease either here in the States or overseas. Edward Punzelt, Wilfred Lowndes, Murtagh C. McDonald, Martin Hall Gill, Lawrence Callahan and George Straka all died of disease, either the Spanish Flu which was rampant during the war or pneumonia.
George Straka was overseas, fought in the trenches and died in Merginac, France of pneumonia. His body was repatriated to the United States and he lies buried in Spring Grove Cemetery.
Second Lieutenant David Charles Bispham lost his life in a training accident as he flew for the British Royal Flying Corps which he had joined before the United States entered the war. He is buried in Kensal Green, St Mary’s Cemetery, in London.
Lt. Ernest Francis Sexton was killed in action as he manned his forward observation post at Premont, near Chateau Thierry, on June 4, 1918. His remains were returned to this country in 1921, and he was buried in the family plot in Waverley, Massachusetts.
All of these men and the veterans who have gone before and those who are with us today deserve our thoughts and prayers as we approach Veterans Day 2018.
As in the past, when Veterans Day falls upon a Sunday, there is no formal observance by the Town of Darien on that day. However, it is hoped that the local houses of worship will take some time to allow their parishioners a moment to reflect on the legacy of our veterans and what they mean to us as a Country.
In passing our time on Sunday, we should all take note and give thanks for what our veterans have done and continue to do for us, in this great Country of ours.
We may not have found peace in the world, but we still strive for it. And we honor those who were and are willing to fight for it.
