News
Dick
Prince, Faithfully serving his country
By Pam Kinney
Gray--Dick Prince remembers being six years old and
watching a parade with his father during Old Home
Days in Gray. It was the 1930s and what really caught
his eye were the World War I veterans marching in
their dark blue American Legion uniforms with yellow
stripes down the side. He asked his father when he
could join. "My father told me I'd never be able
to because there would probably never be another war,"
he said. Seventy years and several wars later, Dick
continues to be a staunch advocate for local veterans.
Above, Prince at the Legion in Gray. The Monument:
Pam Kinney photo
Drafted by the US Army at 18, Dick underwent 17 weeks
of wartime basic training in Fort Blanding, Florida.
World War II was still in progress and Dick remembers
worrying about going overseas. However, the war had
ended by the time he completed his training.
When he re-enlisted several years later, his company
was told they would be part of the infantry replacement
for the Inchon Invasion in Korea. "That's D Day
plus one," Dick explains. "They handed me
a rifle I never fired before, and told me to practice
for six rounds. I was scared to death," he admits.
However, after arriving in Japan he found there were
five thousand servicemen there. "I was older
and had a little more rank," Dick said, which
put him in an office position. During the Korean War,
he found himself part of the rapid expansion. As a
result, he was promoted to Battalion Sergeant Major
by war's end.
During the Vietnam Era, Dick continued his military
career in Germany, working as a Radar Technician Supervisor
for 18 Nike Hercules Guided Missiles. Fortunately,
he was able to bring wife Beverly and daughter Terry
along. "We bought a VW bus, put a 3/4 mattress
in the back, and toured Europe on weekends,"
Dick recalls, noting this to be his favorite time
of his 26 years in the military.
Right,
WWI vets at a ceremony in Gray in 1919.
Even after his retirement in 1971, however, Dick's
dedication to service did not end. He has been a Post
Adjutant for Gray's American Legion Post #84 for the
past 32 years. This leadership position entails administrative
work as well as maintaining records for local members.
"These people have served during a period of
conflict as determined by Congress," he explains.
"We try to provide a support system for them."
Additionally, the local American Legion is responsible
for hanging the flags that line Shaker Road and Main
Street during patriotic holidays such as Veterans
Day.
Dick is also proud to note the American Legion's presence
in government. From Augusta to Washington DC, the
Legion maintains a watchful eye on veterans' issues
and will lobby at the Capitol in order to take care
of their own. For instance, several years ago there
was discussion to make Veterans Day a weekend holiday
each year. The American Legion opposed this move because
November 11th marks the anniversary of the end of
World War I. Changing this holiday to any other day
was seen by the Legion as disrespectful.
Locally on this day, "We honor our area veterans
each year in a ceremony that shows our appreciation
for them," he said.
At 78, Dick continues to devote about four hours a
day to his Legion work with no intentions of slowing
down. He has stood witness to many changes over the
course of sixty years and holds a deep respect for
the servicemen and women currently in Iraq. "When
I look at them in uniform, they are so better equipped
than we were," he conveys. "As long as there
are wars, there will be an American Legion for these
people."
Dick lives on Birchwood Road in Gray with his wife
of 55 years, Beverly.
Military
Record
Gray Historian George T. Hill has compiled a list
of 43 men who participated in the Revolutionary War
and who resided in Gray either before or after that
conflict, but there is no record of the men who enlisted
from this town.
During
the Civil War, Gray sent more soldiers into the Union
Army, in proportion to its population, than any other
Maine town. Gray is accredited with some over 200
volunteers, over one-third of the adult male population.
No draft was ever made here as was the case in most
towns in the North. Gray was the first town in the
state to pay the Civil War debts, and in doing so
overpaid its obligations to the state, which refunded
some $20,000 to the town which it had overpaid.
After
the War of 1812, the federal government required men
between the ages of 18 and 65 to become members of
the militia and to attend drill on muster days, one
in May and one in September. This was followed by
a volunteer system. There were two companies in Gray,
an artillery company at North Gray and an infantry
company at Gray Corner.
More
than 50 men served in World War I from Gray, and about
106 men and women in World War II.
In
1970 the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Post No. 9854,
of Gray placed a wood and granite marker and a flag
pole in front of the newly erected municipal building.
The stone is inscribed "In Honor of All Veterans
Who Served."
