Phil Spiller Jr. joked that it was a “beautiful Navy day” as it began to rain over Riverbank Park in Westbrook. But the cold and constant drizzle did not stop hundreds from lining the city’s Main Street for the annual Memorial Day parade and ceremonies.
On Monday, dozens of Memorial Day events were held around the state, including more than 20 in southern Maine. Mark McGill, of Falmouth, takes his hat off during the gun salute at the Memorial Day ceremony held at Riverbank Park in Westbrook on Monday. McGill served in the Coast Guard, Navy, as a Merchant Marine, and in the Coast Guard Auxiliary.
Brianna Soukup/Staff Photographe The events were to honor the hundreds of thousands of men and women who have died in combat, including those from Maine. In Westbrook, a large memorial greets those who enter Riverbank Park and reminds them of Westbrook’s history of fallen soldiers. One plaque represents the roughly 1,900 Westbrook residents who fought in both World Wars.
More than 50 of them died in combat. Many of Monday’s events were led and organized by veterans. Spiller, the master of ceremonies for Westbrook’s post-parade gathering, is a Navy veteran.
Several members of Westbrook’s two American Legion posts spoke during the ceremonies. And veteran couple Susan and Nelson Graham led Monday morning’s parade as co-grand marshals . The Grahams met while stationed at Fort Monroe in Virginia in the 1960s.
They have lived in Westbrook for decades and volunteered as EMTs .
