ALLAGASH, Maine — Thanks to the generosity of Bangor Daily News readers, two new flags will soon be flying high over the Allagash Veterans Memorial that was vandalized last month.
On Thursday morning, the BDN shared a Fiddlehead Focus story about how a thief or thieves had stolen a prisoner of war flag and a United States flag from the memorial located in front of the town office. A third banner at the site, a Maine flag, had been unlatched but was left behind.
When Laura Saucier of Eagle Lake picked up her newspaper on Thursday morning and read about the missing flags, she felt compelled to help.
Her friend Leo Walker is among those honored on the monument which, according to the town’s website, recognizes veterans from the Civil War, World War I, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War and the Persian Gulf War.
Born in Allagash, Walker served in World War II for five years as a truck driver, according to his obituary. He died in 2007.
Saucier contacted Linwood Flora, the keeper of the memorial, and offered to send $100, which was the estimated cost to replace the flags.
“Well I had a good friend from St. Francis and he was a veteran and had put his name on that stone, and I figure the people that stole those flags were not very nice,” Saucier said. “I figured I could afford it and I would buy those flags in memory of Leo Walker.”
Saucier said she visited Allagash many times with her old friend Walker, whom she had met at the Fort Kent Senior Center.
“When I was with Leo, we went fishing. We went to the falls. I seen a lot of Allagash. I think it’s a nice town,” she said.
The flags were first noticed missing by a town official on July 7, but Flora did not find out about it until later and reported the theft on July 20 to the Maine State Police, who are investigating.
Earlier this week, he said that the value of the missing flags far outweighed the $100 replacement cost.
“It’s not the money. It’s just the matter that someone would do that, and you’re desecrating veterans doing that,” a disheartened Flora said.
Dick Desmarais, owner of Searsport Flags, also read about the stolen flags in Thursday’s BDN and decided to help out, too.
“I just sent them two new flags this morning. I donated them to them,” Desmarais said Friday afternoon. “I just don’t like the idea of someone desecrating a memorial like that, and I think as a businessman in that type of business it was the right thing to do.”
The 74-year-old Desmarais said he can relate to Flora’s passion about maintaining the veterans memorial site in Allagash. Both men are Vietnam veterans.
“I was a dog handler over in Vietnam, so I can relate to why he’s doing what he’s doing and how he feels about it,” Desmarais said. “I kind of keep track of the flags in our town. I’m a selectman in Searsport, too, and I just don’t like to see anyone messing with them.”
Saucier said she also can relate to the importance of honoring veterans.
“I had a lot of veterans in my family. My husband was one, Leo was one, two son-in-laws are veterans. I’ve got a son that was a veteran. I guess they deserve to have back their flags,” she said.
Flora said the new flags will be raised by the Boy Scouts during a 50th anniversary celebration of the Allagash Wilderness Waterway scheduled to take place Aug. 20 at the local community center, which houses the town office.
At that time, Walker will be honored for his service in recognition of Saucier’s donation. Flora said he contacted Saucier about Desmarais’ donation, and she told him to put her own donation away for future flag purchases.
Trooper Matthew Curtin, who is investigating the theft, urged anyone with information to call the Maine State Police Houlton barracks at 532-5400.