August
There will be no meetings.

July
There will be no meetings.

June
5th - The Legion Lunch was held at Woo Jung's in Ayer at 1130. Three members were present.
12th - The regular meeting will be held at the COA center.
14th - Flag Day - retirement ceremony at Ayer Sportsman Club - 0900

May
2nd - The Legion Lunch was held at Piccolino's in in Shirley. Six members were present.
8th - The regular meeting will be held at the COA center.
22nd - A second monthly meeting will be held at the COA center to finalize Memorial Day Activities.
24th - Place flags at the Woodlawn and St Mary's cemeteries.
26th - Memorial Day parade - see below.
30th - The Post will man the concession stand at Pirone Park. Four members participated.

April
10th - The regular meeting will be held at the COA center.

March
14th - The regular meeting will be held at the COA Center.
21st - The Legion Lunch was held at Tiny's in Ayer.
28th - A second monthly meeting will be held at the COA Center.

February
14th - The regular meeting was held at the COA Center at 1900. There were eight members present.
21st - The Legion Lunch was held at O'Hanlon's in in Ayer. Four members were present.

January
14th - The Legion Lunch held at The Nashoba Club in Ayer at 1130. There were nine members present.
10th - The regular meeting was held at the COA Center at 1900. There was no quorum.

Legion veterans keep Memorial Day close to home - By Nathan Lamb, Staff Writer
The Public Spirit - 25 May 2007 

Nashoba Publishing/Photo, John Love, Illustration Jane Jackson

AYER -- Though it never resulted in direct military conflict, the Cold War is remembered as a period of worldwide tension between the United States and Soviet Union.

Local veteran Edward Bloom saw that firsthand on a two-year tour with the Army at the East German border in the early 1950s.

The Korean War, though on the other side of Asia, had heightened apprehensions that the Russians may make a move in Europe. To Bloom and other soldiers, that was an ever-constant threat.

"They told us point blank that we were the first line of defense," he said. "We had regular alerts, and we didn't know whether it was the real thing or not. There was always tension that something was going to happen."

Bloom had the good fortune of serving in a sector that never got hot and came home safely, but he carries deep respect for those who didn't. On Memorial Day, he honors those fallen comrades alongside his American Legion brothers from Joseph M. Connors Post 139.

It's a responsibility veterans take very seriously, said Groton-based veteran Frank Belitsky.

"We honor all those men and women who made the supreme sacrifice in all of the wars and conflicts we've encountered," he said. "It means that we respect their memories and also that we think of their families for the losses they suffered and the efforts of these men who defended our country and our flag."

That's something legion members plan to do for much of the coming week, both with flags at the graves of all veterans and by participating in Memorial Day proceedings in neighboring towns over the weekend.

It's something they wish more people were involved with. Several members interviewed May 17 cited a decline in patriotism and Memorial Day participation from the general public during their lifetimes as cause for concern.

Army veteran James Lucchesi contrasted current conditions with those of World War II, when sacrifices were made by people across the board to support troops in the field. As someone who's given up that freedom for a time to ensure that others don't have to, he said he has a different perspective.

"It's because you've paid the price, you know what freedom means to you as a person," he said. "I think the American public, past a certain age bracket, doesn't really know the freedoms we have in this country. Freedom is not a God-given right, freedom is something that's been fought for since 1775."

The Ayer post's main observance will be May 26, said Commander Steven Wentzell. It begins with services at the Woodlawn Cemetery at 8:30 a.m. and St. Mary's Cemetery 9 a.m. A parade will start from St. Mary's at 10 a.m., which will go down Park and Main streets to the memorial at Town Hall. A naval observance at Pirone Park will be held afterward.

The parade will have the 94th Army Band and a number of youth organizations joining in, said Wentzell. He urged the general public to do so as well.

"We're trying to get more people to join the parade and watch it," he said.

"It's not only to watch the parade, it's to pay their respects," said past Post commander Frank Harmon.