CARIBOU, Maine — Approximately 100 veterans, friends and family members from all over the state attended the annual Flag-Raising Ceremony on May 12 at the Northern Maine Veterans Cemetery.
Thirty American flags were dedicated to and raised in honor of veterans who served in wars spanning the last 75 years. Thirty flagpoles were adorned with the red, white and blue colors of the American flag, while 29 of those flags were specifically designated for deceased veterans being honored by their loved ones.
The flags rested at half staff, as family members, friends and veterans crowded around the 30 individual flagpoles and waited for their cue to raise each flag to full staff.
Harry Hafford, chairperson for the Northern Maine Veterans Cemetery Corporation, announced the names of those who raised each flag and who they were raising the flags in honor of, along with the fact the flags will proudly fly until Veteran’s Day on Nov. 11.
Sergeant Major Roger Felix, who led the Loring Job Corps Color Guard, then gave the order to begin lifting the flags.
One particular family who came out and weathered the cold and rainy Monday morning to honor a fallen veteran was that of Deborah and Ralph Kinney of Bridgewater. The Kinney family dedicated and raised their flag — flag number 10 — for Deborah’s late-father and United States Air Force (USAF) veteran Richard Pratt. This was the Kinney family’s first time raising a flag in honor of Deborah’s father and it was a memorable event for both her and the local Chapter 10 Disabled American Veterans (DAV) members who came out to aid and support the family during the emotional flag-raising ceremony.
“It was my first time and I was so proud. I believe my father would have been very pleased,” said Deborah.
Pratt was born in Williamsport, Penn. He enlisted in the Army, before later transferring into the Air Force, where he served for 20 years.
“At that time, he was working as a tech sergeant, and he was also an X-ray technician,” said Deborah. “When he was stationed here at the Loring Air Force Base he met my mother and they had four children.”
“We traveled all over the U.S. and we were stationed at many bases across the country, she added. “Dad served time overseas in Thailand and in the Philippines.”
After devoting 20 years of his life to the USAF, Pratt retired from service and moved his family to the Caribou area, and began a new stage of service and devotion in his life. Despite the fact Pratt was no longer serving his country on the front lines, he was certainly not about to sit back and relax, until he was able to help as many fellow veterans as possible.
“Upon retirement we moved here to the area and my father became very involved with helping service connected veterans,” said Deborah. “He was connected to the Legion and Disabled American Veterans (DAV). He even served as commander for the local DAV, as well as the state commander.”
Not only was Pratt an instrumental voice during the establishment of the Caribou VA Clinic, but he worked alongside the Northern Maine Veterans Cemetery Corporation (NMVCC) as they worked to establish a veterans cemetery in northern Maine. Many veterans and family members of veterans began mentioning that the geographical location of the memorial cemetery in Augusta made the bereavement and memorial process very difficult. This convinced veterans like Pratt to begin the process of getting a veterans cemetery built much closer to those in northern Maine and Aroostook County.
“My father worked tirelessly to help other veterans and wanted them to have care close to home and not have to travel to Augusta,” said Deborah. “I traveled with him many times, as did my husband Ralph and those are long hard trips, especially when you are not feeling well to begin with.”
Pratt was involved in much of the successful progress that Caribou has witnessed throughout the last 25 years, but none more than the VA clinic that now resides as part of Cary Medical Center. Jim Gehring, a veteran and member of the same local Chapter 10 DAV group Pratt was once commander of, expressed his gratitude and admiration for all the effort Pratt put forth to cement the foundation for Caribou’s VA clinic.
“Because of Dick’s involvement with the establishment of the clinic, we now have a wonderful veterans hospital here in Caribou,” said Gehring. “This is wonderful for veterans because they no longer have to drive all the way to Togus for care, but can receive excellent care right here in northern Maine.”
Gehring also mentioned he has heard rumblings of expansion taking place at Cary Medical Center, specifically to the VA clinic. As most people in Caribou know, the VA clinic does not have a dedicated name, but talks of naming the clinic once the expansion is complete have made the way to Gehring’s ears.
“I don’t know anything for certain and nothing is set in stone, but I have heard that the Pratt name is at the top of the list, as far as who the clinic might be named after.”
Gehring explained that this idea to incorporate the Pratt name into the clinic’s possible future name is only a proposal and there have been no decisions made toward giving the clinic an official title. It would certainly be fitting when you take into account how much dedication Pratt put into the clinic, and just how much he loved the facility. His daughter Deborah was unaware of the proposal to add her father’s name to the clinic’s title, but she is certainly aware of just how much her father loved the Caribou VA clinic, as he insisted he spend his twilight years in the company of his fellow veterans.
“Dad went to Washington, D.C. with Bill Flagg to work on this and he was very proud when everything was finally finished,” said Deborah. “At the time of his death he wanted to stay at the Maine Veterans Home in Caribou. He never said so but I think he was proud to be there and talk to other veterans.”
