The History website contains the following information:

“Memorial Day was originally known as Decoration Day, but the name change happened in 1971 when it was declared an official holiday.

“The observance of military veterans originated in the years following the Civil War, which ended in 1865. The Civil War claimed more lives than any conflict in U.S. history and required the establishment of the country’s first national cemeteries.”

Locally there were 58 men who served in the Civil War, including my great uncle Ed Riley, who is buried in Pine Ridge Cemetery.

While honoring veterans of all wars — World War I, Korea, Vietnam and Afghanistan — here are the local WWII veterans listed in the Enterprise as …

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Killed in action

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Cpl. Edwin J. Booth, Cpl. Daniel Sullivan, Lieut. Fred Guyette, Sgt. Harold Fuller, Lieut. Hugh L. Kelley, Pvt. Alfred Nelson Vaughn Jr., Seaman Carl Blumenthal, Cpl. James E. Duprea Jr., Pvt. Lawrence Roberts, PFC Allen G. Bennett, Lieut. William Robert Slater, Cpl. Clayton Lewis, Capt. William B. Reardon, Pvt. Oliver LaRose, Pvt. Francis N. Fox, Pvt. Lawrence Woods, Cpl. Archie J. Sweeney, Pvt. John G. Deming, Pvt. Albert James Latour, Cpl. Carlton Morrow, T-5 Grade Edwin R. Noyes, PFC Elbert Smith Hale, Lieut. John Eugene Lester, Cpl. Robert Wells McCrum, Pvt. Kenneth L. Morrow, Lieut. Walter Stringham, Pvt. Leon H. Sarant, PFC Richard Sweet, Pvt. Kenneth Drumm, Pvt. Jack Porter, Pvt. Edward McGrath, Lieut. William Traynor, Pvt. Aldo Sorcinelli, PFC James Wallace Yattagan, Pvt. Robert Goetz, Lieut. William Dora, PFC Gilbert Slater, PFC William B. North Jr., Pvt. Leonard Baker, Sgt. Leo R. Whitman, Sgt. John Flynn, Pvt. Millard Willis and Cpl. James R. Cox.

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Missing in action

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Sgt. Leon Stanley Liscomb and Sgt. Pascal Urgo.

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Wounded in action

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Pvt. Paul Willette, PFC Raymond B. McCarthy, Col. Raymond C. Scollin, PFC Joseph Rostan Jr., Sgt. Lawrence J. Bray, PFC Raymond W. Cassavaugh, PFC Mose H. Foster, PFC Bernard T. Bordeau, PFC Joseph M. Carey, Cpl. Archie H. VanNortwick, Sgt. Carl H. Peters, Sgt. Dana C. Smith, T-4 Donald F. Abare, Sgt. Raymond E. Doty, Sgt. Alvin W. Brown, Pvt. Clarence A. Berry, Pvt. Thomas H. Meehan, PFC Mitchell Dukett, Sgt. Howard P. Moody, PFC Roger Heath, PFC James E. LaPan, Pvt. Robert Rondeau, Cpl. Cecil Rushlow, Lieut. Hubert Miller, Lieut. William Cantwell, PFC Homer Gauthier, Pvt. Nathaniel Oddy, Pvt. Frank Lezak, PFC Ingleton Schenck Jr., PFC Daniel Ward, Cpl. Leon L. Chesbrough, PFC Raymond V. Rushia, PFC Gordon Miner, Pvt. Robert Carr, Sgt. Percy A. Arnold, Staff Sgt. Cyrus E. Shelhamner, PFC Clarence Lamere, Sgt. Maurice Moody, PFC Irving Williams, Lieut. Donald Dupree, PFC Arthur P. Gates, PFC Oliver J. Boula, PFC Robert McClure, Pvt. Fred Gorrow, PFC Vernon J. Morrow, PFC George V. Callaghan, Pvt. Wilfred K. Stacey, Pvt. James A. Matthews, Pvt. Guy E. Salls, PFC Robert Willette, PFC Richard Swinyer, Lieut. Irving Edelberg, Sgt. Robert Gladd, Sgt. V.F. Rivers, Lieut. Roger Seney, Lieut. Hayward Plumadore, Sgt. Gordon Pickreign, First Sgt. Ray Hall and Staff Sgt. Francis Spencer.

The bottom of the page read: “This Tribute sponsored by Northland Motors, Inc. [135 Broadway, owned by Julian Reiss]; Mark’s Grill [owned by Mark Carson, 24 Broadway]; Boyce & Roberson [22 Woodruff St., owned by D.F. Roberson, 21 Birch St.]; Everett’s Clothing Store [45 Broadway, owned by Dorchester Everett, lived above the store]; J.A. Latour [Latour Fuel Company, 139 Broadway, owned by James A. Latour, Lake Colby].