100 Years Ago: 1924

The home of Silas Sprague at West Waldoboro was burned early Thursday morning, the family escaping in their night clothes. Lowell Creamer a boarder was dragged unconscious from the window of his room. He soon revived. The fire caught around the chimney. Nothing in the house was saved but the livestock and an automobile was saved from the barn. Thirty tons of hay was burned, with the barn.

The family consists of Mr. and Mrs. Silas Sprague, their son, Harry, his wife and child and Lowell Creamer, a boarder.

After Creamer had been resuscitated, Harry Sprague took his wife and child in the car to the nearest house, and the other three persons made their way barefoot half a mile to another home, where they were given shelter.

50 Years Ago: 1974

Air Force Sergeant Lucien B. Martel, son of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Martel, of 33 Lafayette St., Auburn, was awarded the USAF Commendation Medal recently at Loring AFB, where he was cited for meritorious service at Korat Royal Thai AFB, Thailand.

Now assigned at Loring, he serves with the 42nd Transportation Squadron, a unit of the Strategic Air Command. The sergeant is a 1971 graduate of Edward Little High School.

25 Years Ago: 1999

A Marine gunnery sergeant for whom the latest destroyer was named at Bath Iron Works never liked being singled out for his heroism in Vietnam, his widow and friends said Saturday.

The 19th Arleigh Burke-class destroyer to be launched into the Kennebec River at the shipyard bears the name of Vietnam War hero and Medal of Honor recipient Jimmie E. Howard.

Howard was awarded the Medal of Honor for leading a platoon against repeated attacks by a battalion-sized Vi – et Cong force.

“He always talked about teamwork, even on Hill 488 in Vietnam, where the action was,” recalled Theresa Howard, 67, whose husband died in 1993. “He always felt it was all of them, not just him, the platoon leader.”

The material used in Looking Back is produced exactly as it originally appeared although misspellings and errors may be corrected.