Walter Crocker looked on as the bench bearing his brother’s name, as well as the names of five other young men who died serving their country in Vietnam, was dedicated at Waterfront Park on Saturday, Sept. 17.

Those honored are Merwin A. Delano Jr., Dennis O. Crocker, Dwight A. Price, James L Avery, Mark A. Babson Jr., and Wayne C. Cyr.

“They’d have liked their memorial to be here,” Crocker said. “They loved fishing in the river, and now they can be here forever, looking out over the water.”

The bench was commissioned to replace one that was destroyed by vandalism. The original memorial bench was in Library Park, also overlooking the river, but when the new hotel went up, Crocker said, people sitting on the bench couldn’t see the water anymore.

“So the new location is better,” he said. “Those boys loved the river.”

The bench had been vandalized twice, according to Crocker, with the first incident a number of years ago. The more recent crime occurred on June 16, and police have no leads.

The American Legion has been collecting funds for a reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible. The reward amount is now up to $2,000, and anyone with information can contact the Bath Police.

The small ceremony in the park was attended by Councilor Tink Mitchell, who served two tours in Vietnam himself, Jennifer Geiger of Main Street Bath and American Legion Cmdr. Al Morton, as well as a color guard.

ghamilton@timesrecord.com

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