Members of the military, past and present, will mark Veterans Day on Thursday with a 21-mile march from Augusta to Winslow.

Kennebec County Sheriff Randall Liberty, an Iraq War veteran who is organizing the Veterans Day Memorial Road March, said U.S. soldiers have been marching to one battlefield or another for more than 200 years.

“Road marches have brought American soldiers to Lexington, Gettysburg and Bastogne,” Liberty said. “Today, our soldiers and Marines continue to assist the Iraqi and Afghan people in Tal Afar, Fallujah and Kandahar.”

Thursday’s event is in memory of Army Sgt. Brian Buker of Benton, who received a Medal of Honor for his actions in the Vietnam War. Buker, who graduated from Lawrence High School in Fairfield in 1967, was killed in April 1970 by enemy fire in Chau Doc province.

Participants should gather at 6 a.m. at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Augusta’s Capitol Park. From there, men and women will march north on State Street across the Memorial Bridge. The march will continue north on Route 201 to Winslow.

From there, marchers will travel north on Benton Avenue, and the march will end around noon at Veterans Memorial Park on Roderick Road in Winslow.

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“Each mile will be marked with a photo and citation of many honorable veterans, describing their heroic actions,” Liberty said.

Refreshments will be provided during the march. There will be a free barbecue and memorial service beginning at 11:30 a.m. at Memorial Park.

Marchers may wear all authorized military uniforms or civilian clothing, Liberty said.

 


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