Archive: Around Town

Events of different kinds are held on this day all over the United States.  But the watch fire in Lansing is a particularly powerful and moving ceremony.

But the fire is not entirely symbolic.  In actuality pressure is kept on the government and the Pentagon to keep searching for unaccounted for POWs and MIAs.  This effort has been bearing fruit.  Now the number of Americans still unaccounted for has dwindled to 1,815, according to the State Department, and more continue to be found.

POW/MIAThis success has come from the efforts of the The National League of Families of American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia.  "The pressure is kept up.  They've excavated crash sites and areas where they believe men were killed, trying to identify those who are missing in action," says Mr. Baker.  " Just recently they excavated a site in Vietnam.  There were 21 Marines there who were overrun.  It was near the Laotian/Vietnam border.  They were all MIA and it wasn't known what happened to them, because they were overrun."

"Five or seven years ago two bodies were recovered from the French and Indian War in Canada and returned to the United States to be buried at the Bath Veterans Administration Cemetery.  That's because of this kind of event."  He said that bodies have been recovered from the Korean War and World War II thanks to the efforts of the Vietnam era League of Families.

The first watch fire commemoration took place in Kingston, NY.  Mr. Baker read about it and set about to get permission from the Town of Lansing and the Parks Department to hold the event in Myers Park.  Since then the watch fire commemoration has been held here every year for 14 years.

The event is held by the Vietnam Veterans of America's local chapter 377.  Harvey Baker, J.B. Holligsworth, Anthony Evangelista, Ronald Pluck, George Pierro, Paul Pagliaro and Larry Housel, all Vietnam veterans, organize the event.  All but one served in Vietnam.  Chapter 377 was formed in 1987, and has staged this event for 14 years.

Earlier in the day planks from a lumber yard were piled on the shore, forming a structure that was literally as big as a house.  After the opening ceremony soldiers walked single file to a stack of wood provided by a company that makes trusses in Auburn, picking up a piece to throw on the pile.  By this time the fire had been started in the back of the structure, leaving time for veterans, family members and other attendees to throw a plank onto the fire.

The wind picked up, creating an enormous flame that could be seen for miles around.  The emotional impact is indescribable as veterans from three veterans organizations, families, active servicemen, Air Force ROTC, Army ROTC, Navy and Marine Corps ROTC from Cornell all stood watching the fire.  Some saluted as the flames lit up the lake.

Mr. Baker noted that the Tompkins County Fire Coordinator, the Lansing Fire Department, the Tompkins County Sheriff's Department are all notified, so when they get calls about a fire they are aware that it is part of the event.

Much of the crowd lingered as the fire burned, reluctant to leave the scene, just as they are reluctant to leave missing Americans unaccounted for.  Mr. Baker summed it up, "It's a symbolic gesture that keeps the awareness going.  Right now because of the League of Families and events like this we pay attention to those who are missing in action.  We want answers and we want to find those people."

----
v1i10