March 29, 2024

Seeking Relatives of Veterans with EPVME Bridge Memorial Signs & Names for the EP Military Service Honor Roll

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Sixty years ago, today's Interstate 195 in East Providence was named the East Providence Veterans' Memorial Expressway (EPVME). Fourteen bridges or spans across the freeway were named in memory of 28 EP veterans who died while serving our country. This photo shows the memorial bridge sign on the corner of Potter Street and School St. in memory of Thomas J. Mc Lynch and Mark R. Gilbert. To the west of this sign were 4 other signs. Along Warren Ave., under the overhead Veterans' Parkway bridge to and bridge from the parkway, there were memorial signs for Edward Burke, Gilbert Perito, John McDowell, and Frederick Slade. The Taunton Ave. exit span, ending near Cobb St., had a memorial sign for Edward Pike and Philip McQuade. The Warren Ave. on-ramp span was named in memory of Edward Jocelyn and Manuel G. Silva. Do you have photos of these missing memorial signs?

Do you know any of the veterans listed above or are you a relative? Do you know any of their family members? If so, please contact the families to let them know they (and the public) are invited to the re-dedication ceremony for the bridge memorial signs and the naming of the expressway on Saturday, Nov. 6, 2021 at Pierce Memorial Stadium, 1-3 pm. Also short biographies will be written about these veterans. Their family and friends are encouraged to share life and military details and photos with the EPVMER 2021 committee ( epvme@hotmail.com ) to help record and preserve this EP history.

View https://sites.google.com/view/epvmer2021  to read the entire list of 28 veterans' names with memorial bridge signs and to learn more about items (ex. loan of flags of each branch of the military) and volunteers (ex. musical band to play the National Anthem, live and pre- tape recorded) needed for the Nov. special EPVMER 2021 Veterans' Day celebration.

The EP Military Service Honor Roll is posted at ephist.org. Submit the names of present and former residents of EP who are veterans of WWII up to the present-day military events and names of active-duty members serving now in the military and in the reserves. Include "in memory of" or "in honor of" last name, rank, first name, middle name or initial, war or name of the military event served in (or years, country), peace time, active duty, KIA, POW, MIA, etc., branch of service. Optional: awards, medals, etc. If a WWII veteran, did this veteran attend EP High School? yes, no, do not know. Submit to epvme@hotmail.com  You will receive a reply to confirm the submission. Deadline is the end of Sept.


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