It’s May — The flags went up
You know spring has arrived in Putnam when Alan Joslin and comrades from the local American Legion Post #13 team up with the Town of Putnam to put up the flags on the Memorial Bridge (Rt. 44).
May 4 Jimmy Callaghan and Jim Crabtree from the Town of Putnam had a bucket truck to assist. The tasks involved unloading 16 flags and steel flag poles (about 10 fee’ long) from a truck, unfurling them, and carrying them on to the bridge for placement into their holsters. Crabtree, in the bucket truck held the top of the flag while a veteran placed the pole in the holder. It usually takes about 30-45 minutes to do the job. Post #13 members who volunteered included Alan Joslin, Larry Christy, Victor Kratz, Patrick Kelly, Michael Rocchetti, Frank Tremont, Dave Gilbert, and Garry Brown.
Joslin said: “We usually replace each flag once every two years. The constant exposure to the ultraviolet rays from the sun causes the colors to fade. The flags are purchased by the American Legion, and we usually spend about $650 dollars a year on new flags”. Post #13 Commander Michael Rocchetti added: “This year, in honor of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, we added a Bennington Flag. The Bennington flag is a historic American flag featuring 13 stripes (starting with white), 13 seven-pointed stars arranged in an arch over the number “76” in the blue canton. Associated with the 1777 Battle of Bennington, it is a symbol of the Revolutionary War and it is sometimes called the ‘Fillmore Flag’.
The Memorial Bridge is a great source of pride for Putnam’s veterans. It was built in 1925 and restored in 2015. In addition to the flags, each side of the bridge has three bronze plaques honoring Putnam’s WWI veterans. The arched bridge is very ornate. Each concrete siding is accentuated with a couple of concrete pediments topped off with an obelisk bearing a streetlamp. At the center are three raised concrete tablets showcasing the bronze plaques. The center tablet is topped off with a cast concrete eyebrow. The bridge was damaged during the flood of 1955, and one of the bronze plaques went missing, but it was recently found and returned to the town of Putnam.
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Victor Kratz has the next flag ready. On page 4 - Michael Rocchetti looks at the Bennington flag. More photos Wed. night on our FB page. Linda Lemmon photos.
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