RUMFORD — People in Rumford and Mexico paid tribute on Memorial Day to those who fell in battle defending our country, with ceremonies Monday in both communities.

Under warm, sunny skies, the long parade began from the American Legion and went across the bridge to the Rotary Memorial Green, where everyone gathered for the ceremony.

American Legion Post 24 Commander Ed Perry introduced the guest speaker, Severin Beliveau, who was born and grew up in Rumford. He is from a distinguished family of Maine lawyers and judges.

“Seventy-five years ago, at this very spot, I stood in the audience as a small boy and watched my father deliver the Memorial Day address to Rumford and Mexico veterans,” began Beliveau, a retired lawyer from Rangeley.

He said his father, Albert J. Beliveau Sr., served in France in World War I, was one of 500 Rumford men who served in that war, 26 of whom died overseas. Mexico and Rumford lost between 50 and 60 soldiers in World War II.

Beliveau said his father was one of the founding members of the American Legion Department of Maine, and of Napoleon Ouellette Post 24 of Rumford, becoming the first post commander in 1919.

He noted that Ouellette was the first Rumford man to die in combat in WWI. “His remains were returned to Rumford in 1922 to great honors. He is buried in St. John’s Cemetery.” Beliveau said, “Under my father’s leadership, Napoleon Ouellette Post in Rumford became the largest in Maine.

“If we honor the fallen today, we must also protect the living. We owe it to them and to people like my father and all veterans from this area. To say that we will not let your service be forgotten, and we will not let your sacrifice be used as a reason to balance the budget,” he noted.

Beliveau said Memorial Day is not just about loss. It’s also about legacy. “It reminds us of the enduring ideals of liberty, just and democracy that so many gave their lives and defend. It challenges each of us to be worthy of their sacrifice, not just in words but in the way we live as citizens, whether we serve in uniform, in our communities, or in our daily choices.
We honor the fallen best by striving to uphold the values they died for.”

“This Memorial Day, let’s commit to the values that reflect the Androscoggin Valley,” he said. “Let us remember Napoleon Ouellette. Let us ensure that Rumford continues to rise, not only with strong voices, but with a commitment to serve the public.”

VFW Commander Hal Watson and Rumford American Legion Cmdr. Ed Perry presented a wreath of remembrance here before the parade continued on to the Veterans Memorial Green in Mexico, where another wreath of remembrance was held.