SANFORD — Here are a few facts about the 51 Sanford and Springvale men who died fighting in World War II , as compiled by Joe Doiron of the Great Works Foundation, a non-profit at Sanford Regional Technical Center. The 51 servicemen were honored Thursday in ceremonies at Sanford Memorial Gym as part of the Fallen Veterans Project. Banners bearing photographs for each of the fallen are set to be hung over Main Street starting some time next week.
Ӣ Originally 53 servicemen were listed, but it was determined two of those had survived the war, and four were from surrounding towns. Then, researchers found three more Sanford fallen veterans not previously listed, bringing the total to 51.
Ӣ Of the 51, 14 were married and left a total of 12 children.
Ӣ Four were engaged; two of the fiancees left behind never married.
Ӣ The oldest fallen veteran was Lewis Ham, who was 40 when he died fighting for his country.
Ӣ Robert Watson was the youngest fallen veteran from this community. He dropped out of high school in his junior year and joined the Navy, and was on a B-24, lost over Okinawa, Japan. He was 17 years old.
Ӣ The fallen earned 38 Purple Hearts; five Bronze Stars and two Silver Stars.
Ӣ One of the fallen, Arthur Dexter, died on June 16, 1945; his father died serving in World War I.
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