Page 8 THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, May 14, 2021 Korean and Vietnam War Memorials to be unveiled on Memorial Day MALDEN: TODAY | FROM PAGE 6 “Father Power.” Hundreds supposedly witnessed this scene and “dropped to their knees in prayer.” The stories would remain T his Memorial Day, two newly installed bronze statues that will honor Malden Veterans of the Korean and Vietnam Wars will be unveiled. The two life-size bronze statues will be installed alongside the granite monuments that honor Malden’s Korean and Vietnam Fallen Heroes that were formerly located at the Linden Victory Delta. Face coverings are required and attendees are encouraged to stay socially distant. The event will take place from 6-8 p.m. and will feature a performance by a U.S. Marine Corps Band. The event will be livestreamed on Comcast Channel 22, Verizon Channel 26, or the YouTube channel of Malden’s Urban Media Arts (UMA), “MaldenAccessMATV.” The Korean War Memorial was originally dedicated on the Linden Victory Delta and then rededicated in 2013 and contains the names of 17 Malden Korean Veterans who died during the war. The three-year period of the Korean War was one of the most hard-fought in our history. During its relatively short duration from June 25, 1950, to July 27, 1953, 36,574 Americans died in hostile actions in the Korean War theater. Of these, 8,200 are listed as missing in action or lost or buried at sea. In addition, 103,284 were wounded during the conflict. The Vietnam War Memorial was originally dedicated on the Linden Victory Delta and then rededicated in 2013 and contains the names of 19 Malden Vietnam Veterans who died during the war. The Vietnam War was a long, costly and divisive war that pitted the communist government of North Vietnam against South Vietnam and its principal ally, the United States. Everett Aluminum 10 Everett Ave., Everett 617-389-3839 Owned & operated by the Conti family since 1958 • 57 Years! “Same name, phone number & address for family since 1958 • 62 over half a century. We must be doing something right!” •Vinyl Siding •Free Estimates •Carpentry Work •Fully Licensed •Decks •Roof • Fully Insured • Replacement Windows www.everettaluminum.com •Roo ng Now’s the time to schedule those home improvement projects you’ve been dreaming about all winter! The war was intensified by the ongoing Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union. More than three million people (including over 58,000 Americans) were killed in the Vietnam War. Opposition to the war in the United States bitterly divided Americans, even after President Richard Nixon ordered the withdrawal of U.S. forces in 1973. Communist forces ended the war by seizing control of South Vietnam in 1975, and the country was unified as the Socialist Republic of Vietnam the following year. Veterans Services Director Kevin Jarvis is requesting that the families of Malden Veterans who died during the Korean or Vietnam Wars please contact him at kjarvis@cityofmalden. org or at 781-397-7139 so that we may acknowledge them on Memorial Day. front page news for the next month. (My take: The skeptic in me says that the Malden Evening News knew what sold papers, and what did not.) Needless to say, all hell broke loose at this point. (Please excuse the language.) On November 2 of the same year, more miracles! This time while a couple of Reverends from Saint Joe’s recited Mass. By November 4 thousands of pilgrims were traveling from as far away as New York State to get their miracle on. At that point, the City of Malden assigned a police detail to control the crowds and keep them moving. November 7 saw 25,000 show up. By the 12th, the crowd doubled. The Malden Evening News continued to scream “miracle.” The weekend of the 16th and 17th saw over 200,000 miracle seekers. National newspapers sent their best and brightest to cover the event. Malden was now in headlines worldwide. The Malden Police Department beefed up their presence, assigning a sergeant and 15 officers to patrol the grounds. Volunteers from the fire department assisted. The Governor of Massachusetts even offered Mayor Devir state police assistance. This was becoming a really big deal. And a really huge headache for Malden. Meanwhile, Cardinal William O’Connell had “no comment.” Vendors sold hot dogs and trinkets outside the cemetery gates on Broadway. Heavyweight boxer Jack “The Boston Gob” Sharkey, living in Beverly at the time, came to pray for his daughter who was blind in one eye. Boston Mayor James Michael “The Rascal King” Curley even brought his ailing wife, Mary, to the site. Mary would eventually die of cancer in 1930. You get the picture, right? By November 20, Cardinal O’Connor restricted hours from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Then on the 25th he closed the gates to the cemetery to everybody except those attending funerals. At that point the gates were locked, and except for a few fence-hoppers, the place was deserted. In December of 1929, Father Power’s body was exhumed and moved to its present location enclosed within an iron fence. The cemetery remained shuttered until the spring of 1930. By then, the hysteria had died down. Father Power was finally able to rest in peace. Good grief! The poor man. The Malden Evening News remained relevant for another 60 years or so despite no more miracles to report (snide smiley face inserted). But for a few diehards, Father Power’s grave site is a peaceful haven for coffee drinkers, print media lovers and sometimes friendly urban wildlife. “This is the end, beautiful friend, this is the end, my only friend, the end” – this column was a blast to write. I thank the man with more Malden knowledge in his little pinky than I have in my whole body, Frank Russell, for the inspiration to write it. Although I am indeed a “skeptic,” I by no means wanted this to come off as denying or diminishing the deeply held faith that these believers had. These pilgrims believed something happened. I believe that they believed something happened. I just wish I had Sherman’s Wayback Machine to confirm it. So, “if the good Lord’s willing, and the creek don’t rise,” we’ll meet again next week. Same Bat Time, same Bat Channel. Postscript: Just got word that Frank Russell has passed away. I will address this next week. Rest peacefully, Frankie. Spring!
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