Maine history was made as well as preserved in the mountain village of Bethel on Memorial Day 2022. Members of American Legion posts Mundt-Allen 81 and Jackson-Silver 68, and other members of the Veterans Honor Roll Park Committee - supported by the Bethel Fire Department, the Mahoosuc Community Band, local government, contributions from construction companies and trades, and families who commissioned benches or pavers to honor their veteran relatives who served - came together to dedicate the Bethel Honor Roll Park and Monument. Upon the monument of gray and black granite are etched the 1,335 names of men and women from Albany, Bethel, Grafton, Mason and Riley who either enlisted from or were honorably discharged back to these towns upon the end of their service. More than 40,000 hours were spent in compiling and authenticating the service records of those listed. Being an honor roll, all those who honorably served in every conflict from the Revolutionary War to the present are represented.

The back of the monument is reserved for those who will serve from the localities associated with Bethel (originally Sudbury-Canada) in anticipated future conflicts, as the need to defend the freedoms we presently enjoy will almost certainly be shouldered by generations yet unborn.

The dedication of the Veterans Honor Roll Park and Monument is yet fresh in the minds of those who participated in and witnessed the event. But as is the case with the dedication of Bethel’s Civil War Monument at the foot of Honor Roll Park, the time will come when there is no one yet here to convey what the committee’s 11 years of effort wrought. It is the intention of the Veterans Honor Roll Committee to compile a full record of its accomplishment. That work is the next goal of the committee. The following is a photo record of that most memorable dedication day.

Bethel Honor Roll Park Committee