AN EXTRAORDINARY DAY IN CANTON
By Canton CitizenMy brother, Ernest Carrara, was killed in a plane crash while serving with the United Nations forces in Korea on September 27, 1951. He survived World War II and received two Bronze Stars for landing behind enemy lines at night in Yugoslavia to deliver guns and ammunition to Yugoslavian and Albanian Partisans.
Ernest Carrara
I discovered this when, under the Freedom of Information Act, I received his military record. I have the actual letter of citation describing the times and places of these landings. He was also awarded a Bronze Star for a mission directed at Chinese troops during the Chinese offensive in Korea. Recently, the report of the crash and his death was declassified and made public, also through the Freedom of Information Act. While the report is quite lengthy, much of what happened that day is shrouded in mystery and will never be known.
I wish to describe to you what happened in Canton on March 5, 1952. It was without a doubt an extraordinary day.
My brother’s body arrived by train at Canton Junction on the 3rd of March, 1952. The flag-draped coffin was accompanied by a military escort and driven to the Dockray funeral home, accompanied by Canton Police and Veterans’ Affairs officer John O’Connell. I was not prepared for what happened next.
Hundreds of people came to the funeral home to pay their respects. Many I knew, and many I did not. People waited in long lines outside the home for an hour or more waiting to come in and express their condolences.
On the day of the funeral, March 5, 1952, it was raining very hard and much to my astonishment the pall bearers, all friends of Ernest and all WWII veterans, marched beside the hearse from the funeral home to the church, which is a distance of about two miles. The American Legion, both men and women, and the VFW marched behind the hearse down Washington Street to St John’s. We did not know that they were going to march; it just happened. Needless to say, they were all soaking wet.
Then an amazing thing happened. As the procession continued down Washington Street, the people of Canton lined the sidewalks all the way down to the church. They were carrying umbrellas and American flags. Soldiers in uniform came to attention and saluted as we went by. It was very quiet — so quiet that you could hear the rain pelting the umbrellas, the hum of car engines, sobbing in the cars from a family overcome with grateful emotion.
It was an extraordinary testimonial to what people feel when a soldier has fallen. Over the next few years a memorial was dedicated to my brother as well as two other Canton soldiers who died in the Forgotten War. Ames Avenue has a plaque on top of the street sign with my brother’s name. Much of this was due to the great work of Canton Veterans Agent Tony Andreotti and other Korean veterans. We, as well as other families who suffered similar losses, will always be grateful.
It was a devastating blow for my parents and, of course, the whole family. After all of these years the memory of that extraordinary day remains with me and it always will. It’s a testimonial to how the citizens came together to pay their respects to a young Canton boy who gave everything for his country.
These sad events are happening nearly every day now, due to the two wars in which we are currently engaged. Other families are being devastated by these sad events. We need to reflect and continue to give thanks to those, both living and deceased, who have defended and are still defending our freedom, not just on Memorial Day but every day.
Just south of Florence, Italy, there is a small town called San Casiano. In this town the American Military Cemetery lies parallel to the Via Cassia, which is a road that connects Florence with Siena. The cemetery consists of 70 acres. Buried there are 4,402 American servicemen and women who lost their lives during the fighting north of Rome up to the Italian Dolomites (Alps). Resting there are eight pairs of brothers, one Medal of Honor recipient, and approximately 1,000 men of the famous 10th Mountain division as well as PFC Donald Graham of Canton, Massachusetts. Inside the atrium, inscribed on a tablet, are the names of 1,409 Americans who are missing and, except for one, were never found.
Also inside the atrium is another tablet, which is inscribed with the following unforgettable words:
THEY FACED THE FOE AS THEY DREW
NEAR HIM IN THE STRETCH OF THEIR
OWN MANHOOD AND WHEN THE
SHOCK OF BATTLE CAME THEY IN A
MOMENT OF TIME AT THE CLIMAX OF
THEIR LIVES WERE RAPT AWAY FROM A
WORLD FILLED FOR THEIR DYING EYES
NOT WITH TERROR BUT WITH GLORY.
Political rhetoric is very heavy and very negative these days, and without a doubt we face some difficult challenges. But I believe today as I did on March 5, 1952, that we are, and will continue to be, the greatest country in the world.
God bless our country and keep our troops safe.
Richard T. Carrara, Canton resident from 1931 to 1998
19 Owen Road
Norton, MA
Short URL: https://www.thecantoncitizen.com/?p=2499
Posted by Canton Citizen
on May 27 2010. Filed under Canton History, Features.
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