Odds in our favor

The Mass Saturday evening at St Michael's was a simple ceremony with a full church. After the homily, the names of the deceased were read in the order by month that they passed. A member of the family brought up the candle, had it lit, and then placed it on a table to the side on the altar. There was quite a collection when all was done.

The full listing of names:



Dolores and I took Mr and Mrs Proulx with us to the Mass. We stopped at Chelo's on RT 44 for dinner after. What would the odds be for us to be seated at the same booth where I last sat with Dad?

HONOR FLIGHT from Rhode Island

Tomorrow morning several veterans will be departing TF Green Airport for Washington, DC via HONOR FLIGHT.

Several friends of Jerry donated in his memory to HONOR FLIGHT.

It is fitting that members of the Providence Police Pipes and Drums will be playing several Tunes for these veterans.  Several of Jerry's friends and fellow MARINES will be playing.  Pipe Major Manny Soares and Lead  Tip Drum. Carl Weston will be present.  

The Veterans will be honored with the Minstrel Boy and the Military Set.  Army, Navy Air force and MARINE CORPS HYMN.  

Jerry was able to see the Pipes and Drums play at the half time show last year at Providence College Basketball season opener.  

The march out was MARINE CORPS HYMN.  As usual Jerry shot to attention upon hearing that.  As did every other MARINE in the house,

By Tradition MARINES drop what they are doing and come to attention upon hearing the USMC Hymn.

I am out of town or would otherwise be there.

I thank the organizers of HONOR FLIGHT.

My fellow members of the PPD Pipes and Drums.

Above all the veterans who will be going to Washington.  Of course the Service members KIA, MIA and those who have made the final journey home.

"The minstrel boy to the war is gone,
In the ranks of death ye may find him;
His father's sword he hath girded on,
With his wild harp slung along behind him;
Land of Song, the lays of the warrior bard,
May some day sound for thee,
But his harp belongs to the brave and free
And shall never sound in slavery!"

Lyrics from the MINSTREL BOY

Andy's Story

Steve,

I love getting the updates on "Jerry's Story".

One of my favorite times with your Dad is one of my favorite stories to tell. My brothers Richard and Ray and I took your Dad to see the movie "Letters from Iwo Jima". We felt so honored to be sitting with a survivor of that famous battle, especially since our dad Del also fought there.

When the movie was over, we all commented on how "realistic" it was.

Jerry very soft spokenly said it brought back a lot of memories and that the makers of the film had done a great job recreating the scenes of Iwo Jima. As far as realistic, Jerry said it wasn't very realistic. The only way to recreate the realism of the day would be to have live ammunition fire flying by you from all sides and know that at any moment you could be dead!!!

He said this with such calm and authority that it has stayed with me every since. Only those who have lived through combat can really know the "realistic" fears and feelings that come with it.

Hope all is well with you and your family.

I miss your Dad and feel blessed that I got to know him the last few years of his life.

Sincerely,

Andy Brouillard



Andy,

Thank you for sharing this. And thank you for taking Dad to the movie. I know he talked of it frequently.

Steve

"make up for his lack of accuracy"

Jerry's son Bob recalls a conversation with him from Sep 2007. Jerry had recounted some of his Marine training in the conversation.

He is in good spirits, and told me some things about being in the Marines that I never knew - that he graduated from boot camp without having passed his marksmanship test on the M-1 Garand rifle that was the basic weapon for Marine infantrymen in WWII. He later qualified on it, on the 30 caliber machine gun, and also qualified on the carbine (a shorter weapon better suited for scouts and radiomen to carry. Papa liked it because it had a 15 round cartridge vs. the 8 rounds in the M-1, and he figured it would make up for his lack of accuracy. He also qualified on the 45 caliber pistol, because he did some assignments as a courier - bringing a briefcase of important papers from the officers on one island over to their counterparts on another island. The briefcase would be handcuffed to his left hand, and he had to be able to shoot the 45 if anyone messed with him.

Thanks for sharing this Bob.

If you have a memory or story of Jerry to share, please send it along.

Memorial Mass - Nov 3, 2012

St Michael's Church in Georgiaville, RI will be holding a memorial mass on Saturday, Nov 3, 2012 at 5:00 PM. This mass will remember all the parishioners who passed away this year. This was Jerry's most recent parish and where the funeral mass was held in February.

If you are in or around the area and want to join us at the mass, please let me know.



From the notification on the mass:

"Catholic tradition sets aside the month of November as a time to remember our loved ones who have died. During the 5:00 PM Mass on Saturday, November 3, there will be a simple ceremony to remember our parishioners who have died since last November. As a family who has suffered the loss of a loved one, I invite you to participate in this mass. 

After the homily, the names of those who have died since last November will be read. As each name is spoken, we invite you or a family member to come forward to place a candle next to the altar. After mass, you may take the candle home with you. If you do not wish to participate in the candle ceremony, you are still welcome to come to the mass. 

A candle with Gerald Sherlock's name on it will be available on a table at the front entrance to the Church. Please take the candle before mass begins so you have it with you when the names are read. You may sit wherever you wish, as there will be no reserved seating."

Honor Flight

Honor Flight is still performing its mission. You can help other WWII veterans visit their war memorial in Washington, DC.

Why WWII veterans?
We are loosing over 1,000 a day. Time is short. More recent veterans will have their time to come but the WWII vets need to be addressed now





A virtual honor flight is being held today, more info can be found here
http://www.sarahhillstories.blogspot.com/2012/08/virtual-honor-flights-for-wwii-veterans.html

Happy birthday, Jerry

It would have been Jerry's birthday today. Likely something of a gathering of families to celebrate.

He is missed but not forgotten!
.

The power of music!

A wonderful story from a WWII veteran

On September 4th, the same day Mr. Garnett's fellow veterans will fly to Washington, DC on an Honor Flight, a group of volunteers will bring a Virtual Honor Flight to his house. Veterans United Home Loans in partnership with Central Missouri Honor Flight will offer the first-ever "Virtual Honor Flight" via Google Plus Hangouts.  Using this group video chat room and live streaming technology on You Tube, Mr. Garnett and other aging veterans will get to see their memorial and experience the magic of an Honor Flight from the comfort of their own homes, even if they're too sick to fly.

More info on the virtual honor flight to be held on Tuesday, Sep 4th can be found here
http://www.sarahhillstories.blogspot.com/2012/08/virtual-honor-flights-for-wwii-veterans.html


Regular readers will recall that for Jerry's funeral donations to Honor Flight were requested. It is good to see their work still going on! And that thanks to folks like Sarah Hill a virtual honor flight can happen through the wonders of the technology available today.

Another tribute for Jerry

When I returned home from vacation recently, I had a stack of mail to go through and found a large envelop from the Veterans Administration. It contained the following letter on heavy parchment paper.

Thank you!

4th Annual VJ Day Candlelight Ceremony of Remembrance

4th Annual VJ Day Candlelight Ceremony of Remembrance to be held Sunday, August 12

The Iwo Jima Memorial Historical Foundation, Inc. will be holding their 4th Annual VJ Day Candlelight
Ceremony of Remembrance at the National Iwo Jima Memorial Monument on Sunday, August 12, 2012.
The public is invited to attend and participate in this ceremony by remembering a deceased loved one who
served at any time in the U. S. Armed Forces. This event is part of the National Spirit of '45 Day Campaign.

The 4th Annual VJ Day Candlelight Ceremony of Remembrance will remember and honor ALL of America's Veterans who served at any time in the Armed Forces of the United States and who have since passed away or who were KIA/MIA. Among those are the 100 Connecticut servicemen who were killed in action during the World War II Battle of Iwo Jima. The names of those men are inscribed on the black granite panels of the monument. The ceremony also remembers those who survived the battle but who have since passed away. 


The public is invited to attend this Free event and participate by remembering any special veteran in their lives who is no longer with us. The ceremony will include bagpipes, invocation, speakers, taps, rifle salute, riderless horse and the lighting of candles. The public is invited to call the name of a loved one to be remembered and toll the bell for each. Relatives or friends of the 100 men KIA who are listed on the monument or survivors of the battle who have passed away are asked to contact us.

Those wishing to attend are asked to first gather at 5:30 p.m. at the Newington Memorial Funeral Home
located at 20 Bonair Ave. in the center of Newington. There will be a brief ceremony which will include the
folding of an American flag which represents all veterans who have passed away. Everyone is invited to
bring a photo of the veteran they would like to remember and place it on the Wall of Honor.

Due to limited parking at the Monument, a bus will be provided to transport visitors to the National Iwo Jima Memorial. This bus will be part of a formal escorted procession to the National Iwo Jima Memorial where services will begin at 6:30 p.m. In case of rain, the entire ceremony will take place at the Newington Memorial Funeral Home.

The Battle of Iwo Jima was fought February 19th through March 26th, 1945. It was the bloodiest battle in
Marine history, resulting in the deaths of 6,821 American servicemen and wounded over 19,000 more. The
Iwo Jima Memorial Historical Foundation, Inc. is a non-profit 501 (c)(3) organization whose mission is to
maintain the National Iwo Jima Memorial, educate others about the history of the Battle for Iwo Jima and to
perpetuate the memory of those who fought and died there.

We are seeking Sponsors and Volunteers to help with this event. For more information, please contact Gary
at (860) 291-9666 or email SOSIwoJima@yahoo.com. You may also visit the Iwo Jima Survivors website or Facebook page at www.SOSIwoJima.com for more information and directions to the Newington Memorial Funeral Home or National Iwo Jima Memorial Monument.

Families are ...

Cousin Elaine sends this along that had been typed by her mother (Pauline) and that still hangs on her own refrigerator as a constant reminder.

Well said!

Mariette S. Bruneau, 80

Mariette S. Bruneau, 80

EAST PROVIDENCE - Mariette S. (Joyal) Bruneau, 80, formerly of 500 Mendon Road, South Attleboro, died Saturday July 14, 2012, at the Philip Hulitar Hospice Center, Providence. She was the wife of the late Rodolphe P. Bruneau to whom she was married 54 years. 

She was born in Pawtucket a daughter of the late Armand A. and Ernestine R. (Brouillard) Joyal. Mrs. Bruneau volunteered for numerous organizations throughout her lifetime and spent the last 25 years dedicated to Amos House in Providence. 

She leaves her loving family, daughters Ann M. McGahern and her husband Michael of South Attleboro, Michelle A. Brissette and her husband Joseph of Rumford, six grandchildren, four sisters and one brother. She was predeceased by two sisters and two brothers. 

Her funeral will be held on Wednesday at 9 a.m. from the Perry-McStay Funeral Home, 2555 Pawtucket Ave., East Providence, with a Mass of Christian burial at 10 a.m. in St. Francis Xavier Church, North Carpenter Street, East Providence. Burial will be in Notre Dame Cemetery, Pawtucket. 

Calling hours are on Tuesday, 5-8 p.m. 

In lieu of flowers contributions to Amos House, 415 Friendship St., PO Box 72873, Providence, RI 02907 would be appreciated.

Mariette was Rita's sister. Shown here in a Brouillard Brunch photo with her brother Albert in January 2012.

Obituary originally published by the Attleboro Sun Chronicle