Fountain to honor fallen hero

The young soldier from town who lost his life in Iraq last year will be honored tomorrow when the C.S. Bird Fountain on the Common is dedicated in his honor.

At 10 a.m., U.S. Army First Lt. Andrew J. Bacevich, who died May 13, 2007, when an improvised explosive device tore through his patrol, will take his place among the Walpole soldiers who have given their lives for their country in war.

Bacevich, 27 at the time of his death in Salah Ad Din province, served in the 3rd Battalion, 8th U.S. Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division.

Bacevich's parents live in Walpole. His father, also Andrew J. Bacevich, a Boston University professor, West Point graduate and Vietnam War veteran, was an outspoken critic of the war in Iraq even prior to his son's death.

The Walpole Commons area where the fountain is located is rich in historical significance.

There is a memorial to the 39 Walpole residents who gave their lives for their country during the wars of the 20th century. There are benches honoring World War II veterans.

On the main Common at the corner of West and Main streets is a memorial to Walpole soldiers who served during the French and Indian War, which began in 1754, 22 years before America declared its independence from England. Next to that is a cross marking where Walpole's earliest churches stood during Revolutionary times.

The C.S. Bird Fountain is on the Common adjacent to the post office.

Veterans Development Corp. volunteered the materials and labor to complete the project in Bacevich's name. Mark Voner, president of the Norwell-based company and a disabled U.S. Marine who served in Lebanon in the 1980s, said the project cost his company a little more than $100,000, a figure that would have reached more than $200,000 if it weren't for the contributions of local business and private donors.

Nearly all of Voner's employees are veterans.

"I'm so honored to be a part of it," said Voner, who thanked all the other companies that contributed supplies and service.

Voner said his time in the military instilled in him the sense that one must give back to the community.

Voner and his crews restored the fountain's granite to its original condition, repointed its masonry, replaced four missing brass turtles, installed granite caps, redid the landscape and installed a wooden trellis roof, in all, a major historical renovation.

Water, which hasn't flowed there in years, will again spout through a large granite ball onto stone-covered terraces.

A plaque at the base of the fountain memorizing Bacevich - now covered with a tarp anchored by traffic cones - will be unveiled Saturday.

The elder Bacevich will speak at tomorrow's dedication. Town Administrator Michael Boynton, selectmen Chairman Cathie Winston, Michael Gallahue of the Historical Commission, and Voner.

In addition to Veterans Development Corp., Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Bacevich, Michael and Donna Boynton, the law office of Christopher Timson, Philip Czachorowski of Walpole Peace and Justice, Margaret Kennedy, Louis Lorusso, William and Norene McMillan, Judith A. Howard, Joseph Nolan of NStar, the Junior Women's Club of Walpole, the Walpole Historical Society, and Walpole elementary school students (who raised $1,400 as a part of their penny drive) donated to the project.

Antonio Lorusso of S.M. Lorusso & Sons, Boro Sand & Gravel, Walsh Contracting Corp., D&R Paving & Contracting, Bardol Concrete & Floors, Gil-mores, P.J. Hayes Co., John Deere/Landscapes, Reads Landscape Supply, Walpole Floral & Garden Center, Lovell's Nursery, Walsh's Greenhouse, Village Green Nursery, Anderson Electric, Walpole Firefighters, Walpole Police and the Walpole Class of 1978 provided services or supplies for the project.