Today is Veterans Day.
We celebrate November 11 because — 107 years ago today — World War I ended. The armistice took effect at 11 a.m., on 11/11.
Twelve years later — on November 11, 1930 — we dedicated our doughboy statue.
That was 5 years after the town voted to erect a monument to soldiers in “The Great War.”
The commission was offered to Laura Gardin Fraser. Yet her design — showing a bronze relief figure of Victory — did not meet the committee’s approval.
Three years later the Veterans of Foreign War and American Legion raised $10,000. They commissioned J. Clinton Shepherd, an illustrator, sculptor — and pilot — to memorialize a soldier from “the war to end all wars.”
The doughboy statue. (Photo/Amy Schneider)
Six months after Westport’s first-ever Memorial Day parade, the Doughboy was dedicated. But it was not at Veterans Green, across from what is now Town Hall (and was then Bedford Elementary School).
The original site was the grassy median on on the Post Road 2 miles east — across from what is now Pizza Lyfe and One River art school, near the foot of Long Lots Road.
A crowd of 3,000 turned out for the dedication of the 20-ton statue. Governor John H. Trumbull was there, along with hundreds of veterans, and 7 bands. Children pulled ropes to unveil the statue.
Dedication of the Doughboy statue in 1930. This view is looking east.
The doughboy was moved to its present location — one deemed more fitting and dignified than a Post Road median — in 1986. A formal re-dedication ceremony was held on Memorial Day 1988.
Think of all that today when you head up the hill to Town Hall, across from Veterans Green.
As happens every year, there will be a short but important ceremony. The Westport Community Band plays, at 10:30 a.m.
At the appropriate hour of 11 a.m., speakers will honor all veterans, of all wars.
Veterans Day ceremony, 2024. (Photo copyright Ted Horowitz)
Most will be veterans themselves. One will be Staples High School senior Gunnar Eklund.
All will honor the past, and look to the future.
As you leave, look at the doughboy statue across the way. Think of all the sacrifices that have been made since doughboys fought over 100 years ago, in “the war to end all wars.”
Then head over to VFW Post 399, on Riverside Avenue. They’re hosting a lunch for veterans — and everyone else in town, who wants to salute them.
VFW Post 399.
I would be curious to see Frasers version of the statue that was rejected
Thank you Veterans, for your service to this country.
Unless you’ve served you have no idea how removed from civilization and immersed in the military you become. It’s a complete level of dedication and sacrifice and the pay ain’t great. We owe everything we have to those who died and to those who serve today. Thank you and may God bless and protect you. 💕🇺🇸
Thank you Tom and Sandy Feeley for your service.
Thank you Dave for yours.
I was born at 11:57 pm on June 26, 1947. Didn’t mean much until the first military lottery in 1969. I was sitting in our family room listening to the drawings and heard “ Number 24, June 26. The rest is history, but at least I get a free Starbucks coffee today.
We’re all familiar with the famous picture of the flag being raised on Iwo Jima. The first flag was too ripped, so a soldier ran down to the LST779 to get a flag that was in better shape. My wife’s father gave them their flag for the photo.
JackO, have I seen you at the Marine Corp Marathon?
You know where it ends, right? My uncle’s cousin, who I believe grew up off Long Lots Road, ran the race 5 consecutive times.
Burgess is a very familiar Westport name. I think there was a Burgess around North Maple Avenue.
Let me reach out to the relatives. I do know they’re no longer in the area.
Thank.you Mr Backiel
Brian, Ask Dan Woog for my email address so we can discuss this further.
Brian, I didn’t run a Marathon, but in the late 1950s there was a Burgess that lived on North Maple Avenue, I just can’t recall the exact house. Perhaps they bought the Ryzak’s house next to Stahursky’s farm?
I found out that an Andrew Burgess, an older couple, did buy the Ryzak stucco house, which once was Backiel farmland before 1942. I even have a short home movie clip from 1941 showing the property with no structure on it. You could say whatever house is there now is on the corner of Hunt Club Lane and North Maple Avenue. I was reminded of the name Andrew from a 1961 Staples graduate who basically lived across the street back in the late 1950s that I wrote an e-mail to because I guessed correctly that he knew Andrew and his wife.
Jack, you are such a treasure trove of old Westport. I think you should start a blog (in your spare time). You could call it Westport RFD (no zip codes back in our day, remember?). Maybe the nice people at the Westport Museum of History (and Culture) would underwrite it financially using misappropriated funds from the Pequot tribe.