Earlier this month, the Westbrook Historical Society dedicated the Veterans Military Collection in honor of Philip LaViolet, who donated seven volumes of histories and obituaries of Westbrook war veterans. A World War II veteran, LaViolet, 84, has spent 40 years amassing information for the books. On Monday, LaViolet sat down with the American Journal to talk about the honor he received, his experience in the war and the meaning of Memorial Day, which is on Monday.

Q: How did you feel about getting a collection dedicated in your honor at the historical society?

A: They threw quite a party last week. They even put my name on the wall. I worked for the Westbrook Veteran’s Memorial Association for over 40 years. I gave it up last year when my lungs were operated on. It’s getting to be too much for me now. I’m 84 years old, and at that age, you’re falling apart like an old Model-T Ford. But I had a busy life. I tried to do what God put me on earth to do – God, family and country.

Q: Why did you decide to collect the histories of Westbrook veterans?

A: It brings you closer to the people that are in that book. You get their whole life history. I knew a lot of them. Sometimes it kind of hurt to put their picture and obituary in. Maybe one day in the very near future, my name will be in there.

Q: What else have you done for local veterans?

A: I started the Memorial Day roll call. I think it was in the late 1950s or early 1960s. They call out the names of not just veterans, but anyone who died in the past year. A lot of the times you bury the dead and forget the dead. Their names are called out, so they’re not forgotten. You can’t forget your veterans or your friends and family. You must remember them, even if it’s just once a year. I was also the coordinator for the parade. There’s no advertising in the parade. This is a somber day.

Q: When were you in the service?

A: During World War II, I was in the U.S. Army Signal Corps for three years. I was in the invasion of Okinawa on Easter Sunday 1945. Then, we liberated Korea. I came back home in 1946. We were all 18 when we went in. It was your patriotic duty to do so. We had a real cause for that war. Right now, it’s debatable whether this war is justifiable, but World War II was. We knew we were fighting evil.

Q: What did you do for work when you came back to Westbrook?

A: I went to work for S.D. Warren. I worked there for 40 years in the finishing department. Then, I got married and raised five children. My wife, Constance, is from Montreal. We got married in Montreal. We raised the kids right here in this house. I built this house. Now, my kids are all married, and I have 10 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

Q: Where did you get all the information about the veterans for your books?

A: From the newspapers, and if I needed more information, I called the family. For everyone that died, we presented a flag to the family and put a flag over their grave at the cemetary. Every veteran must have a flag over their grave on Memorial Day.

Q: Other than the books, what else did you donate to the historical society for the collection?

A: My uniform. There’s a Japanese canteen. I gave them rice bowls. When they bury them over there, they bury them with food for their journey. We slept in the tombs during the monsoon. You couldn’t sleep in the foxholes. They were filled up with water. So, we slept with the dead.

Q: What does Memorial Day mean to you?

A: Not forgetting war veterans. It’s one of the most important holidays. I have great faith in all veterans. I’m talking about war veterans, not just putting time in the service. My father was in World War I, and his father built the railroads during the Civil War. My father’s uncle was in the Spanish-American War. We have Independence Day, but in order to have Independence Day, you have to have Memorial Day, so that the slogan “lest we forget” is accomplished.

Philip LaViolet stands with some memoribilia from his service in World War II at his home in Westbrook. LaViolet was recently honored by the Westbrook Historical Society when a collection of artifacts from local veterans was dedicated in honor of him. Over the past 40 years, LaViolet has compiled the histories of Westbrook veterans into seven books.