Hometown Heroes of WWII
Sergeant Francis Chenette, U.S. Army
By Michael Rocchetti
Just north of a small town in France called Corny-sur-Moselle, there is a stone monument in a park along the Moselle River that commemorates the soldiers of the 5th Infantry Division who were killed in action crossing the river here during WWII. The monument is inscribed with the image of U.S. Army soldiers, about 10 of them, paddling an assault boat across the river while artillery shells splash all around them. The inscription says: “They Gave Their Tomorrow to Give Us Our Today”.
On the 8th and 9th of September 1944, elements of the U.S. Army 5th Infantry Division crossed the Moselle River here in the vicinity of Dornot, SW of Metz France. The 150th Engineer Combat Battalion (from Fort Devens, Mass.) was tasked with supporting the crossing. Company C moved assault boats to the water’s edge, but poor cover on the near shore drew enemy artillery and small arms fire every step of the way. The operation of ferrying troops to far shore and casualties to near shore continued all night under intense mortar, artillery and small arms fire. Company C had 3 killed and 12 wounded in action during this river crossing, including the Company Commander when their command post received a direct artillery hit.
Francis Chenette was seriously wounded during this operation on September 9th, and would later die of his wounds at a field hospital in France on October 12th 1944.
Technician Fourth Grade (T/4) Francis Chenette was born Jan. 29, 1924, in Worcester Mass., the son of Joseph Chenette and Delia Previe. He grew up in Putnam. He was drafted in 1943 and was a combat engineer assigned to Company C, 150th Engineer Combat Battalion from Fort Devens. He was single, but was engaged to Miss Rita Duclos of Putnam. In addition to his parents, he was survived by three brothers
and five sisters. He is buried at St Mary’s Cemetery in Putnam, CT.
Hometown Heroes is a series published in the Putnam Town Crier & Northeast Ledger with this mission: We owe it to our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines to make sure that they are never forgotten, and that the memory of their service and sacrifice will forever live on in the hearts and minds of the grateful people of Putnam.
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PSA claims 5th National title
W. HARTFORD — All is right once again in the prep school basketball world.
After losing in the championship game last year, Putnam Science Academy returned to the top of the mountain Thursday night and claimed its fifth national prep school title, defeating in-state foe St. Thomas More, 79-72.
Senior Ben Ahmed led the Mustangs with 20 points and five rebounds on his way to being named tournament MVP. He was a starter on last year’s team, as well as the 2022-23 team that won it all.
“This means a lot to me,” he said. “I couldn’t go out like that. I know what it feels like to lose and I didn’t want my teammates to go through that too. I know winning feels so much better.”
Ahmed, who is headed to Oklahoma State next year, leaves behind a legacy as one of PSA’s all-time greatest players. In addition to being a two-time champion, the Nigerian native – who hasn’t seen his parents in three years – is also PSA’s all-time leading scorer and rebounder, and its single-season record-holder in both categories. No one has played (128) or started (117) more games than him either.
“I can say that besides all his record-breaking stats and points and rebounding, Ben is a great friend, like a brother to me,” said point guard Tony Williams, who was the only other member of this year’s team left over from last year. “Ben always picked up the next man and helped them when no one was looking, so that means a lot. The legacy he brought to this school and program…he’s one of a kind.”
PSA won its final 33 games and finished with a school-record 41 wins against just two losses, which came on consecutive days way back in mid-November. The Mustangs dominated their opponents all season, with an average margin of victory of nearly 27 points, but they found themselves in unfamiliar territory against St. Thomas More. PSA faced its biggest deficit of the year, trailing by nine points about midway through the first half. The Mustangs fought back, however, and took a one-point lead into the break.
“As long as we stuck together and stayed composed, it was ours,” said Williams, who is headed to Fairfield next year. “Down 15 or up 15, the game wasn’t over. Being down in the first couple minutes like we’ve never been struck us a little bit, but I knew in my gut that we weren’t going to quit.”
The second half was just as tight and tense as PSA could never put it out of reach, but a big bucket and clutch free throws from Ahmed, plus an offensive rebound putback from Brayson Green in the final minutes sealed the win.
“It wasn’t a fun game for me,” coach Tom Espinosa said after with a laugh. “It was stressful. We never got a comfortable lead, which we’re not used to. The kids have stepped up all year though and gotten the job done. Our experience was Ben Ahmed and Tony Williams, and they led us. I’m so happy for the kids because it’s a memory they’ll have forever. They’ll be linked together forever.”
“But it’s stressful, it really is. As a school, we have a lot of pressure to win it because we’ve done it before, and we make no secret about it being our goal every year. It’s a lot of pressure to have to show up every day. We have a target on our backs, everyone is coming after us.”
Williams finished the game with 11 points, Parrish Edmond and Abdou Yadd both had 10, while Green added six points and six rebounds, and Adama Tambedou chipped in five points and eight boards.
The Mustangs should have a great chance to repeat next year as six of their top 10 rotation players – Green, Edmond, Tambedou, Warren Keel, Jaeden Roberts, and Jamell Hatchett – are expected to return.
PSA advanced to the title game by beating Vermont Academy 82-72 in the semifinals earlier the same day, led by Green (14 points, four rebounds) and Yadd (13 points, four rebounds).
The Mustangs used a balanced attack to beat Hargrave Military Academy 86-59 in the first round. Yadd led the way with 11 points and three rebounds, while Ahmed added 10 points and five boards. Green (nine points, eight rebounds), Williams (eight points, three assists), Tambedou (seven points, seven rebounds), and Sam Osayi (eight boards) all played well.
It was more of the same in the quarterfinals, a 90-46 thrashing of Massanutten. Green had 12 points and eight rebounds (seven offensive), Edmond had 12 points and four boards, while Ahmed finished with 11 points, and Williams and Yadd chipped in 10 apiece.
Editor’s note: We will post an extensive gallery of tournament photos Wed. night on our FB page: Putnam Town Crier & Northeast Ledger.
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The following charges were listed in the Putnam Police Department logs. The people charged are innocent until proven guilty in court. The Town Crier will publish dispositions of cases at the request of the accused. The dispositions must be accompanied by the proper documentation. The Putnam Police Department confidential Tip Line is 860-963-0000.
March 5
Jordan Taylor Gannon, Walnut Street, Wauregan; first-degree burglary, third-degree criminal mischief, false statement, second-degree breach of peace, creating a public disturbance, third-degree assault.
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PSA Elite team falls in semi-finals
PUTNAM — The PSA Elite Boys won at home over the Hoosac School in the Power 5 Conference quarter final game 88-60. Dominick LaDuca led the Mustangs with 15 points and 4 assists in the win. Lazarus Mason (2 assists) and David Djan (8 rebounds) each scored 12 points and Javelle Epps added 11 points and 3 rebounds as PSA moved to 25-11 on the season. Octavius Wheeler chipped in 11 points and 3 steals.
BRONX, N.Y. — The Putnam Science Elite Boys ended their season losing to OSL 96-60 in the Power 5 Conference semifinals to finish 25-12. Octavious Wheeler led the Mustangs with 24 points and Lazarus Mason had 13 points and 2 assists in the loss. Javelle Epps added 8 points and 3 rebounds.
Varsity Boys finish season
HOOSAC, N.Y. — The Putnam Science Varsity Boys traveled down to New York to play in the “Valley of the Owl Cup” end of the season Championship Tournament. In game #1 the PSA Varsity Boys lost to Hoosac “Purple” 59-50. KJ Cyr led the Mustangs with 16 points, 7 assists and 2 steals and Zuko Ntshikila had 9 points, 4 assists and 3 rebounds. Chris Maplanka added 7 points and 12 rebounds in the loss.
HOOSAC, N.Y. — The PSA Varsity Boys won game #2 at the “Valley of the Owl Cup” over St. Thomas More 61-43. Chris Maplanka led the Mustangs with 12 points, 10 rebounds and a block and Stanislaw Nowakowski had 10 points, 11 rebounds and 2 blocks in the win. Zuko Ntshikila added 8 points, 4 assists and 3 rebounds as PSA moves on to the semifinals.
HOOSAC, N.Y. — The Varsity Boys lost to Hoosac “White” in the semifinals 65-57 to end the season with an overall record of 16-15.KJ Cyr led the Mustangs with 24 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals and Drake Alvarez added 11 points in the loss. Chris Maplanka added 8 points and 12 rebounds and Stanislaw Nowakowski chipped in 7 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists for PSA.
Varsity & Prep Girls
BARRINGTON, R.I. — The Lady Mustangs lost a tough one in Barrington 51-48. Janaya Prince led PSA with 15 points, 3 assists and 3 steals and Varvara Utina had 8 points, 2 rebounds and a steal in the loss. Helin Ozturk (2 assists) and Athena Thompson (4 rebounds) each added 7 points apiece. Kate Lipatova chipped in 6 points and 8 rebounds as Putnam Science fell to 15-11 on the season.
PUTNAM — The Putnam Science Prep Girls lost to the Newman School 75-70. Valentina Vrcan led the Lady Mustangs with 11 points, 3 rebounds and 2 steals. Athena Thompson added 10 points, 5 rebounds and 3 steals and Tacko Sy had 10 points, 8 rebounds and 2 blocks in the loss. Janaya Prince chipped in 8 points, 4 assists and 3 rebounds as Putnam Science ended the regular season at 15-12. The PSA Prep Girls get ready this week for the National Tournament at St. Joseph’s in Hartford. The Lady Mustangs open up against the Darrow School Monday starting at 4:30.
PUTNAM — The Putnam Science Varsity Girls ended the season in a loss to the Hoosac School 78-73 to finish the season 13-8. Lahelie Leyde led the Lady Mustangs with 23 points, 5 assists and 5 steals and Vega Larru had 19 points, 4 assists and 3 steals in the loss. Ayca Kazak added 14 points, 4 assists and 4 steals and Defne Mumcu chipped in 5 points, 7 rebounds and 2 steals.
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