Rutland, Vermont, unveils granite monument honoring 164 local World War II dead

A 10-foot granite monument honoring local World War II service members was unveiled Wednesday at Main Street Park in Rutland. More than 300 neighbors, government officials, military service members and veterans attended the Veterans Day event. The monument bears the names of 164 service members from Rutland County who died in the war, beneath the inscription “In memory of the greatest generation.”

Rutland Mayor Tom Donahue said the World War II generation’s service is owed a response from those who came after. “I feel the service of the World War II veterans that we recognize today, those that lost their lives, those that came back. We owe a dedication of our lives,” Donahue said. He noted that he and his wife have five children and 13 grandchildren, all of them in Rutland, and said that this is “a testament to what this generation did for us.” Donahue wore a World War II military uniform jacket that belonged to his father, who served in the war from 1942 to 1945. “I feel like he’s here with me right now,” Donahue said.

The event combined solemn and hopeful remembrance. Rutland High School student Ava Gallo presented a biography of John “Jack” Hawkins, whom she profiled as part of a George Washington University program in which 15 high school students across the country learn about D-Day. The program culminates in trips to Washington, D.C., and Normandy, France. Hawkins, of Bomoseen, enlisted in the Army in 1943 and was killed in action 17 months later. “Jack was not just a soldier. He was a son, a student, an athlete, a writer and a young man with a promising future of living,” Gallo said. “His story reminds us that behind every casualty statistic is a real person with dreams, relationships and goals.” Remembering those who went before honors their lives and passes their witness on (Hebrews 13:7).

Ron Fredette, commander of the Rutland American Legion, said that 16,492 Vermonters enlisted for the war from Rutland, according to his review of documents from the era. Gov. Phil Scott’s father was among those who enlisted; he lost both legs in service. “It’s hard to put into words the amount of people that are here to honor our veterans, to have this memorial here to honor the World War II veterans,” Scott said in an interview after the event. “It’s especially important to me.”

During his remarks, Scott spoke directly to World War II veteran Buddy Taggart, who was honored by President Donald Trump at this year’s State of the Union address for his role in liberating a Japanese internment camp in the Philippines. “You set an example for us that we should all learn. We’re fortunate to have you with us. We should all listen and learn from you,” Scott said. Taggart, 100, and fellow World War II veteran Mary Wright, 103, removed a covering from the monument after a prayer of remembrance offered by Wally Pratt, chaplain of the local Veterans of Foreign Wars chapter. “The names on this memorial remind us that freedom is not free,” Pratt said. “These brave Rutlanders paid the ultimate price for the freedom we enjoy today.”

The crowd sang “America the Beautiful” as Taggart and Wright posed with two other veterans in front of the newly revealed memorial. Taggart reflected on his childhood farming and logging and on attending a one-room school in Castleton on Birdseye Mountain. He enlisted at age 17 and has received many honors since, including at Wednesday’s ceremony. “Who’d ever expect it?” he said. “Oh, it was fantastic, fantastic, super.”

The monument’s story began in July 2025, when Rutland Cemetery Commissioner Tom Giffen told the city’s Board of Aldermen that he had received a call about a lack of World War II memorials in the city park, Giffen said in an interview Tuesday. Giffen said the park holds memorials for most major wars and that he was shocked to learn the city had never built a World War II veterans memorial. The Board of Aldermen formed a committee in August 2025, made up of Giffen and members of the local VFW and American Legion. Within 14 months, the committee had designed the monument and received the 9,000-pound granite statue from Buttura & Gherardi Granite Artisans, a Barre granite manufacturer. According to Giffen, more than $45,000 was raised from community donations for the monument, a nearby flagpole and upkeep.

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