Woolwich’s Tanner Square Monument, which honors Woolwich men and women who served in the U.S. military during World War II, recently got a facelift, thanks to the efforts of Woolwich resident Robert Meade and the town’s Monument Committee. The foundation for the monument, dedicated on Memorial Day 1950, had weakened and cracked over the years, allowing water intrusion.

Meade engaged the services of mason Paul Marseglia of Dresden, who began the repair work last week. The makeover of the monument on the southbound side of Route 1 will continue through next spring when work on the foundation, stone work, and brass plate will be completed.

These efforts come just in time to coincide with the town’s annual Veterans Day event on Saturday Nov. 11 at 11 am at Nequasset Meetinghouse.

Meade, a U.S. Army, U.S. Marine Corps and Korean War veteran, explained that this memorial “represents an important piece of Woolwich history.” Pfc. Richard George Tanner, said Meade, was a resident of Woolwich and paratrooper who was killed in action in France on July 4, 1944.

Tanner was a member of the 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment (PIR), 82nd Airborne. During the fight for Hill 95, Tanner, 20, was killed in action. The son of Clarence Tanner of Woolwich, he graduated from Morse High School in 1942 and joined the Army in December 1942. He is buried at the Normandy American Cemetery in St. Laurent, France.

According to Rob Carr from the Maine Gave Many public Facebook site, to the north of the town of La Hate du Puits, France is a monument honoring the men of the 82nd Airborne for the last battle they fought in Normandy. It reads, “To the valiant American soldiers of the 82nd Airborne for the capture of Hill 95 July 4,5,6, 1944.” He goes on to describe that Hill 95 was part of a series of hills and ridges occupied by enemy forces giving them command of the high ground. On July 4, 1944, the 508th PIR was assigned the difficult task to seize the heavily defended position of Hill 95. The 508th had been in constant enemy contact since parachuting into Normandy, the morning of June 6, 1944. After a month of fighting their ranks had suffered great losses. Still, after three days of bitter fighting, they secured Hill 95.