Barrington Memorial Day activities planned for Monday

Major William E. Groves is this year's honorary grand marshal

Posted 5/25/18

The Barrington Memorial Day activities will begin at 8:30 a.m. on Monday, May 28, at the Victory Field Memorial Gate at Barrington High School, under the direction of retired Lt. Col. Paul C. …

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Barrington Memorial Day activities planned for Monday

Major William E. Groves is this year's honorary grand marshal

Posted

The Barrington Memorial Day activities will begin at 8:30 a.m. on Monday, May 28, at the Victory Field Memorial Gate at Barrington High School, under the direction of retired Lt. Col. Paul C. Dulchinos. 

There will be the raising of the flag by the Barrington Girl Scouts. Chaplain (Major) Tim Bourquin will offer the prayer, while Rep. David Cicilline and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse will offer comments. 

Col. Charles Brule will conduct a roll call of deceased veterans, and Al Girard and Joseph Pine will place a wreath during the ceremony. The Pawtuxet Rangers will serve as the honor guard firing party. 

Frank Castello and Andrew Harris will play Taps and Echo.

Major William E. Groves is this year's honorary grand marshal. Major Groves graduated with a BA from Northeastern University in 1967 and received his commission through the US Army ROTC Program. After continuing his graduate studies at Northeastern under a DOD Educational Delay, 2LT Groves was ordered in Nov. 1968 to active service to attend the Infantry Officer’s Basic Course and the US Army Intelligence School (USAINTS). Bill’s first active duty assignment was with the 112th Military Intelligence Group in Baton Rouge, La. from July 1969 to July 1970 where he was promoted to 1LT.  

1LT Groves then attended the Defense language Institute Southwest in Aug. 1970 to learn Vietnamese and was promoted to Captain in Nov. 1970. In Dec. 1970, Capt. Groves deployed to Vietnam and was assigned to US Military Assistance Command Republic of Vietnam (MACV) as an Assistant District Senior Advisor in the Nam Can District. In Nov. 1971, Captain Groves left active duty and was reassigned to USAR Control Group in St. Louis, Mo. In July 1972, Captain Groves joined the active reserves and served as an Assistant Operations Officer with the 443rd Civil Affairs Command in Warwick. In Oct. 1972, Bill began his civilian career. In June 1983, Bill was promoted to Major (USAR) and was reassigned to the USAR Control Group. From 1983 to 1987, Major Groves maintained his reserve status by attending the US Army Civil Affairs Officer Advanced Course and the US Army Command and General Staff College, and by conducting annual active duty training with the US Army Intelligence Command Headquarters in Arlington, Va. After 20 years of service, Bill retired on Feb. 2, 1987.

Major Groves' awards include: National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Vietnam Campaign Medal and 2 Overseas Service Bars

Dr. James R. Holmes, USN, is this year's key note speaker. 

Dr. Holmes is a professor of strategy and former visiting professor of national security affairs at the Naval War College where he is the inaugural holder of the J. C. Wylie Chair of Maritime Strategy. He previously served on the faculty of the University of Georgia School of Public and International Affairs, returning as the van Beuren Distinguished Visiting Fellow in 2016.

A former U.S. Navy surface-warfare officer and combat veteran of the first Gulf War, he served as a weapons and engineering officer on the battleship USS Wisconsin (BB 64), engineering and firefighting instructor at the Surface Warfare Officers School Command, and military professor of strategy at the Naval War College. He was the last gunnery officer to fire a battleship’s big guns in anger. He is also a 2016 recipient of the Navy Meritorious Civilian Service Medal.

Dr. Holmes has published more than 25 book chapters, 200 scholarly essays and other works. He is a two-time recipient of the Hugh G. Nott Prize (Naval War College Review). He is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Vanderbilt University (B.A., mathematics and German) and completed graduate work at Salve Regina University (M.A., international relations), Providence College (M.A., mathematics), and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University (M.A.L.D. and Ph.D., international affairs), where he was the A. Eiken Hohenberg Scholar. He earned the Naval War College Foundation Award in 1994, signifying the top graduate in his Naval War College class.

Parade divisions

There will be four divisions in the parade — recognition, military honor and two divisions of civic pride. The parade begins at 9:30 at the intersection of Upland Way and Lincoln Avenue, follows Upland to Barrington Avenue, then east on Maple Avenue, and ends in front of the town hall. There is a wreath-laying service at the Honor Roll in front of the town hall. 

There will also be a reading of the Gettysburg Address by Ari Dulchinos, the playing of Taps and Echo will be done by Frank Castello and Andrew Harris. The Barrington High School chorus will sing the National Anthem and the Battle Hymn of the Republic.

There will be an introduction of officials, the grand marshal and the key note speaker, the singing of God Bless America, and America the Beautiful, and the reading of the poem "In Flanders Field" by Ashley Pippitt.

Major Bourquin will then offer benediction. 

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