NEW GLOUCESTER – On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, the Armistice with Germany went into effect, ending World War I. On Monday, Nov. 11, as Americans observe another Veterans Day, Dennis McCann and his family will run in and around Upper Gloucester Village with a purpose.
In the center of New Gloucester, the McCanns and veterans’ groups will meet and make what McCann calls a “flag run,” with the flags of all branches of the military in tow. The run will mark a continuing effort to raise funds for the new, New Gloucester Veterans Monument.
Supporters will also run at the new site of the monument, which will be located across from the town garage on Route 100, McCann said.
A ceremony will be held at noon.
While Veterans Day is a special event for McCann, a former Marine, the mile run will be no biggie. It will be, in fact, more like a walk in the park. McCann, after all, has been running 25 to 30 miles a week for a year and a half, averaging 7-8 miles per run, to raise money for the new monument.
“I figured I’d run a mile for every veteran whose name is going on the monument – every veteran who’s from the town of New Gloucester from the Revolutionary War on up,” he said.
That would be 950 in all. McCann is about halfway there.
“Every mile that I run I log and I track,” he said. “I started with the Revolutionary War, dedicating Mile 1. Now I’m up to World War II, dedicating Mile 401. That would be for Bernard Bergeron.”
McCann, whose family runs McCann Fabrication in town, is backed by a strong Veterans Monument Committee, which is headed up by Jean Libby. McCann’s father, Richard, donated the land for the new monument.
The committee has backed his efforts, with a New Gloucester Veterans Monument Facebook page and website, and McCann has a Facebook page of his own. The committee has done mass mailings seeking donations.
McCann has raised more than $33,000 thus far, He figures that about $85,000 is needed for new stones, flag poles and lighting. The New Gloucester Veterans Monument, located near the Masonic Lodge, is being moved to its new location on Wednesday morning to set the stage for the placement of the new monument.
McCann’s brother, Rick, served in the U.S. Air Force, and his uncle and grandfather also were veterans.
According to the committee’s files, 193 veterans with ties to New Gloucester served in World War II, with 11 of them dying while in service. The list also includes two Royal Navy Pilots who were killed in New Gloucester when their planes collided and crashed near Penney Road.
According to the New Gloucester Veterans Monument Facebook page, many World War II veterans still have families living in New Gloucester.
McCann’s list has “the names of the veterans he will be running for each time he runs. This will provide the families and friends who want to honor their veteran with a chance to either donate or even to run with him,” according to the Facebook page.
“I’m pretty patriotic,” McCann said. “I want my town to be the kind of town that appreciates its veterans and their sacrifices. I’ve seen towns in northern Maine that do this a lot.”
With cold weather coming, McCann said, he will need to adjust his running routine.
“I’m not a spring chicken,” said McCann, 46. “So I can’t go out and run every day. As the days get colder and shorter, I’m going to have to start running on lunch breaks, and on the weekends.”
McCann wants to run every road in New Gloucester, except for maybe the little roundabouts.
“I like to stay in shape,” he said. “I track my runs with my wrist watch, then my computer brings up Google Earth and shows me where I’ve run.”
In October, Amvets Ladies Auxiliary put on a turkey dinner, donating proceeds to the cause.
“Many in town have helped,” McCann said. “The goal is to have it done by Veterans Day next year, but we may be a year or so before we get there. Or maybe somebody will come up with $50 grand.”
That goal, while perhaps a way off, is perfectly clear.
“When you go through New Gloucester,” McCann said, “you’re going to see it. There will be room for more names. If you live in the town of New Gloucester and you go into the service, you’re going to be on that wall.”
Dennis McCann is running one mile for each veteran listed on the New Gloucester Veterans Monument. He’s halfway through the list of 950 service veterans who have served in various wars, starting with the Revolutionary War.Send questions/comments to the editors.
