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A.J. “LARRY” LAROCHELLE, pictured at left, sergeant at arms for George T. Files American Legion Post 20, prepares to lower the flag after a POW/MIA remembrance service Friday at the Joshua L. Chamberlain statue on the Bowdoin College campus in Brunswick. LaRochelle served in the Navy from 1958 to 1978 and now resides in Brunswick. “This is the third of this particular type of service we’ve had. We are rejuvenating Post 20. It went awry, but we have new members who are getting it rolling again,” LaRochelle said. The ceremony, “A Table Set for One,” acknowledges the absence of soldiers not yet returned home. Twelve Maine soldiers are unaccounted for from the Vietnam War. From the Korean War, 46 Mainers are listed as either killed in action, missing in action or prisoner of war. Among them is Private 1st Class Gerald Smith of Brunswick, who was killed in action in North Korea on Nov. 27, 1950. His remains have not been recovered. “It’s important to not forget,” said Marty Diller, Post 20 vice commander. “We want to keep their names in the public eye.” Above, veterans observe a solemn prayer. From left are Robert Ackley of Topsham, who served in the U.S. Coast Guard during the Vietnam War; Tommy Atkins, a Vietnam veteran who served in the U.S. Army and Maine state historian for the American Legion; and Dan Boland of Bailey Island, who served in the U.S. Marine Corps during the Korean War.
A.J. “LARRY” LAROCHELLE, pictured at left, sergeant at arms for George T. Files American Legion Post 20, prepares to lower the flag after a POW/MIA remembrance service Friday at the Joshua L. Chamberlain statue on the Bowdoin College campus in Brunswick. LaRochelle served in the Navy from 1958 to 1978 and now resides in Brunswick. “This is the third of this particular type of service we’ve had. We are rejuvenating Post 20. It went awry, but we have new members who are getting it rolling again,” LaRochelle said. The ceremony, “A Table Set for One,” acknowledges the absence of soldiers not yet returned home. Twelve Maine soldiers are unaccounted for from the Vietnam War. From the Korean War, 46 Mainers are listed as either killed in action, missing in action or prisoner of war. Among them is Private 1st Class Gerald Smith of Brunswick, who was killed in action in North Korea on Nov. 27, 1950. His remains have not been recovered. “It’s important to not forget,” said Marty Diller, Post 20 vice commander. “We want to keep their names in the public eye.” Above, veterans observe a solemn prayer. From left are Robert Ackley of Topsham, who served in the U.S. Coast Guard during the Vietnam War; Tommy Atkins, a Vietnam veteran who served in the U.S. Army and Maine state historian for the American Legion; and Dan Boland of Bailey Island, who served in the U.S. Marine Corps during the Korean War.
 
 

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