5-17-07

Walpole Veterans Reflect on Their Service and New Monument

By Chuck Bingaman, Contributing Writer

            “It’s one of the greatest honors in the world to serve under the United States’ flag,” said Ralph A. “Red” Smith of Walpole Thursday in a conversation about the new Veterans’ monument that went up on the town Common last week.

            While the monument will not be formally dedicated until Memorial Day, Monday, May 28, townspeople have been walking around it for several days already looking for names of long deceased and still living relatives and friends that entered the military service from Walpole over the years.

            “I feel bad for those that didn’t come home and for their families,” noted Smith.  “But I like the Memorial.  It’s a great addition to the town.  It lets everyone know who has served and protected our country.”  Smith, 76, served from 1951 to 1955 as a fireman on the Navy destroyer USS Warrington.  “My Navy service was one of the best things that could have happened to me.  It taught me independence…how to watch out for yourself and your comrades.”

            The monument lists the names of all those men and women that a determined committee of Bridge Wilson American Legion Post #77 volunteers could find that entered U.S. military service from Walpole from the Revolution through the present time.  Even those currently serving in Iraq, Afghanistan and other posts worldwide.  More than 1100 names are listed, 43 of which lost their lives in the service.

            Margaret Knowles, 42, originally of North Walpole, hasn’t seen the Monument yet because she’s still on active duty in the Army and posted in Washington, DC.  “But I feel very honored that my name is on it,” she said Thursday.  “I spent a lot of time on the Common when I was a girl. I love being a part of the history of Walpole.”  Knowles, who will retire from the military in November enlisted right out of Fall Mountain High School upon graduation in 1982.  She’s been a Chinese linguist throughout her Army career, and has been accepted to the George Washington University Masters program in Asian Studies beginning in the fall.

            Clancy Houghton of Old North Main in Walpole came home from college in California after one year when his dad, a Walpole dentist, had a stroke.  Seeing that he had to make his way in life, he enlisted in the Air Force in 1954 and served for four years.  During that time, he trained as a budget officer, and he and his young wife, Rit, also from Walpole, lived in England for much of the time.  “I didn’t go into it for the glory, and I didn’t expect to be honored in any way,” says Houghton.  “But I learned a lot in the Air Force.  I had an immense amount of responsibility at an age I probably didn’t deserve it and I grew up a lot!”  As to the new monument, Houghton says, “it’s a classy job!”

            Marshall Putnam of Walpole also served in the Air Force from 1943 to 1946 and was posted to aircraft engine repair facilities in Biloxi, Denver, and Amarillo.  He enlisted while in high school in Walpole.  “As I look back on it now, I had fun in the Air Force.  But it was hectic!  We worked hard, often seven days a week. And we matured rapidly.  As to the new monument, “I watched it being planned and built, and I think they’ve done a great job!”

            Currently serving with 3rd Army as an Area Support Group-Qatar (ASG-QA) Intelligence Officer out of Camp As Sayliyah near Doha, Qatar, Walpole native Demere Kasper is a 25-year-old Captain.  She helps with force protection and advises on anti-terrorism measures for the installation. “I am proud,” she says, “of my work, but only regret that I was not in the army earlier during the first push into Iraq, or had been able to serve in Afghanistan.  My service has allowed me to truly appreciate the freedoms we have in the United States.”

As to her name appearing already on the new Walpole monument, Kasper said this week in an email from Qatar, “It is a little overwhelming, and a bit humbling to think that my name is alongside people that I regard as heroes, and I definitely do not think of myself in that manner. These are men and women who sacrificed more than just a year tour, or 15 months. Many were gone years on end and never knew when they would be home again. They didn't have all the amenities we are afforded in this day and age.”

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