‘In memory of the greatest generation’: Rutland unveils new WWII memorial

RUTLAND — A towering, tangible reminder of what one generation gave for the generations to come now stands in the city. Main Street Park hosted more than 300 neighbors, government officials, military service members and veterans Wednesday for the unveiling of a 10-foot granite monument honoring local World War II service members. The monument bears the names of 164 service members from Rutland County who died in the war, beneath an inscription reading “In memory of the greatest generation.” “I feel the service of the World War II veterans that we recognize today, those that lost their lives, those that came back. We owe a dedication of our lives,” Rutland Mayor Tom Donahue said during the Veterans Day event. “My wife and I have five kids and 13 grandkids, all of them here in Rutland, and all of them free, and that is a testament to what this generation did for us.” Donahue wore a World War II military uniform jacket that belonged to his father, who served in the war from 1942 to 1945.

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