Veteran’s Day is November 11th, and this year it falls on a Wednesday. Do you know why this date was chosen? Originally, it was celebrated as Armistice Day and fell on November 11th because it celebrated the anniversary of the signing of the Armistice that ended World War I..

In 1954 it was changed to “Veterans Day” to honor all veterans of all wars. The date remained November 11th. Read more

Rhode Island is rich in military history from materials for war manufactured in our state including uniforms from Civil War to World War II… to decoys made in Woonsocket for the World War II Ghost Army.

According to an article by Don Bousquet in the former “Old Rhode Island Magazine (Nov 1993), Central Falls held the first Armistice Day Parade months before the official end of World War I.

“As the war wound down, and it became apparent that Poland’s freedom soon
would be restored; Rhode Island’s polish community could no longer contain its
joy. it staged a memorable parade through the streets of Central Falls in late
October, 1918, fully two weeks before the Armistice. It was undoubtedly
Rhode Island’s first ‘victory parade” of World War I.”

The article continues to note that Rhode Island contributed 28,817 troops of whom 684 lost their lives and more than 2400 were wounded or gassed. However, many of those fatalities were due in part to the large number that fell victim to the influenza pneumonia virus or the ‘Spanish Flu Pandemic’ that was sweeping across the military base camps.

Veterans Memorial Museum – Hidden Gem

There is one place in the Blackstone Valley that is a hidden gem with a wealth of information and full of memorabilia that honors our Veterans and preserves our military history in the Blackstone Valley and that is the Veterans Memorial Museum in Woonsocket.

Veterans Day on November 11, 2020 is the fifth anniversary of the opening of the Veterans Memorial Museum, and the museum will be open free to the public from 10 am – 4 pm. The museum was founded and opened with the mission to honor veterans of all wars and preserve history.

The museum has a large display of artifacts, uniforms, medals and every day items from the Revolutionary War up to the present time. Glenn Dusablon, founder/museum curator, says all items are on loan except for a few items that he purchased and a rare copy of the Woonsocket Patriot dated April 15, 1865 announcing the death of President Abraham Lincoln.

Other rare items on display is a WWII paratrooper training helmet, a poster signed by Captain Winters from the “Band of Brothers” and a lithograph of the Marine Corps War Memorial depicting the Marines raising the U. S. flag at Iwo Jima signed by the sculptor Felix de Weldon.

On a recent visit we were fascinated by the exhibit of what Dusablon called “trench art” that included painted helmets and an airplane blade from France in 1918 signed by the U.S. Air Corp Squadron.

The visit to the museum stirred up emotions from seeing so many personal items and helped to bring home the many sacrifices our war veterans have made for this country. One item in particular hit us during this visit. It was a helmet from the Vietnam War with the message “Save me God” written on one side and “Born to Kill” on the other side.

The museum had been closed during the early part of the pandemic and reopened in September with a new Woonsocket Room and an elevator.

Of course, what made this visit even more interesting were the stories that Dusablon shared as he ushered us through the many artifacts. He has a story for each item. Dusablon has been collecting war artifacts since he was nine years old, and he demonstrates an enthusiastic passion for the collection, which is evident in his storytelling.

This museum should be on your list of places to visit if you have an interest in military history or have a loved one who is a Veteran that you would like to treat to a day out and make sure you allow yourself enough time to relish the information Dusablon has to share. View museum video

There are many communities in the Blackstone Valley that have Veterans Memorials including a new WWII Monument at WWII Memorial Park in Woonsocket, the Veterans Memorial in Deerfield Park, Smithfield, the Veterans Memorial Amphitheatre & Park Pawtucket or the Veterans Memorial Park in Central Falls RI.

As a matter of fact, at a recent visit to the La Galeria del Pueblo in Central Falls, we learned that the building housed a Veterans collection as part of the former Susan Lysander Museum and includes a memorial in front of the building. However, most of that collection now resides in the Adams Public Library of Central Falls.

While at the museum we also learned of the Dare to Dream Ranch, a multifaceted equine therapy program for service members, veterans and their families. Located in Foster, their services include equine therapy, yoga, horticultural therapy and much more. Learn more

Please check our event calendar for Veterans Day events

Photo credit: David Lawlor
Written by: Patti McAlpine