COLEBROOK – Local residents gathered Sunday, Oct. 25, to dedicate a new veterans memorial and raise the American flag in honor of local men and women who have served in the nation’s armed forces.
The dedication ceremony began at noon at the Colebrook Pavilion Veterans Memorial, near the Colebrook Community Center at the intersection of State Route 46 and U.S. Route 322.
The ceremony featured the American Legion Post 719 color guard from Orwell. Eagle Scout Samuel Mazzie and members of Orwell Scouting America Troop 72 raised the colors, and Ben Goerich of the Grand Valley High School band performed “Taps.” Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the U.S.A.” played as attendees took their places.
The new memorial provides a place to honor Colebrook veterans and recognize their courage, dedication and sacrifice. It also is intended to give future generations a place to reflect on the meaning of freedom and remember those who defended it.
“We are gathered here today to dedicate this veterans memorial and raise our national flag in honor of the men and women of Colebrook who have served our country,” Mazzie said. “Today is an opportunity to recognize the courage, dedication and sacrifices of our veterans.”
A veterans memorial has stood for many years at the southwest corner of the park at the Colebrook Community Center. But efforts to improve access to the existing monuments led to plans for a new site.
A small committee of eight women, known as the Colebrook Craft Show Committee, established a Veterans Memorial Committee to make the memorial more accessible to local veterans, senior citizens and people with mobility limitations.
The original location presented challenges. The site was zoned commercially, and safety fears raised by the township’s insurance carrier prompted concerns about potential liability. A proposal to install a small parking lot east of the original location also was rejected over similar concerns.
In March 2025, the committee began preparing plans for a new memorial site. The plans underwent several revisions, and fundraising events helped the committee meet the costs associated with obtaining bids and moving the project forward.
The new monument stands about 40 feet from the park pavilion. A 5-foot-wide concrete sidewalk leads to a 50-foot concrete octagon, which includes new footers and a 15-by-15-foot pad for an M5 3-inch gun.
The site also includes benches, flowers and ornamental eagles, creating a space for visitors to pause and reflect.
A new flagpole was donated and installed by Mazzie and members of Troop 72 as part of Mazzie’s Eagle Scout project.
A new monument was purchased to honor men and women who have served in the armed forces, including those who served during the Gulf War era and veterans of past, present and future conflicts.
The dedication marks the culmination of the committee’s work to create a more accessible and welcoming place of remembrance for the community.
“This memorial will stand as a lasting reminder of their service and a place where future generations can come to reflect on the meaning of freedom and the importance of remembering those who defended it,” Mazzie said.
