Remembering Sharon’s veterans

SHARON — Memorial Day celebrations have always been important to the town of Sharon, and First Selectman Robert Loucks can attest to that. Loucks grew up in Sharon, marching in the annual Memorial Day parade as a drummer in the Sharon Center School band. Now, a U.S. Navy veteran, Loucks helps organize the day of remembrance. “It’s an important event that people need to be reminded of,” he said. “You know, freedom is not free.” Though towns across the country remember veterans once a year, it is memorials such as the Sharon Veterans Memorial that create a daily reminder. The Sharon Veterans Memorial was built in 1994 and sits at the intersection of routes 4 and 44 on Main Street. It lists approximately 1,100 veterans who served in the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, the Civil War, the Mexican War, the Spanish American War, World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, Panama, Grenada and Desert Storm. The monument is made of granite so that other names may be carved into the memorial.“Everyday more boys and young Americans are lost,” Loucks said. “For this Mideast war we will be making up a list.”Another daily reminder is American Legion Post No. 126, named after an important Sharon veteran, Herbert G. Klebes. Klebes was a young U.S. Marine who served in World War I at the 1918 Battle of Belleau Wood in France. The 26-day battle against the Germans was damaging to both sides. The United States alone suffered 1,811 casualties. Klebes was one of them. Historians say the battle was an important victory for the U.S. during a time when Germany seemed invincible. Although the Legion post and memorial are there for all to see every day, it is services and celebrations such as those held on Veterans Day and Memorial Day that remind us to look at them and remember.“We need to make people aware of the sacrifices that have been made on our behalf,” Loucks said.This Memorial Day, May 30, the parade down Main Street will begin at 10 a.m. An Air Force flyover is expected during the ceremony.