Claremont dedicates Veterans Memorial

The Claremont Legion Post officially dedicated its veterans memorial on Monday honoring all local veterans and especially the Post’s namesake, Cpl. Albert Dennis Connell.
Post Commander Mike Berg presided over the Veteran’s Day ceremony at the memorial in downtown Claremont.
“We are dedicating the memorial to not only the veterans but to the community,” Berg said. If it were not for the people and business of Claremont, he said, the memorial would never have come to be.
The memorial includes a flagpole in the center surrounded by pavers, which will be engraved with the names of local veterans. Additional pavers have been installed down both sides of the walk leading from the flag pole. Pavers to the left of sidewalk will bear the names of World War I veterans while the pavers on the right side will be engraved with the names of those who served in World War II.
The memorial also includes two granite double-sided  pillars. Each pillar has been engraved with the logos and name of the branches of service – Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard and Merchant Marine. Two granite benches are also part of the memorial.
At the base of the flagpole, Berg said, will be a special paver engraved with the name of Cpl. Albert Dennis Connell, U.S. Army.
Cpl. Connell, Berg said, was the only service member from the immediate Claremont area to be killed in World War I.
The son of Mr. and Mrs. William Connell, he died in France on Aug. 4, 1918, Berg said, and is buried in Hillside Cemetery in rural Claremont.
Of the 31 men from Claremont and the surrounding area who went off to World War I, Berg said, Connell was the only one who did not survive.
The memorial has been in the works for several years since the Legion acquired the vacant lot next to its Post.
Berg also said that the Post hopes that people will use the grassy area behind the memorial as a place to picnic or just sit and observe the memorial.