Augusta -
The battlefield cross is a symbol anyone who has served knows the meaning of.
"To me it means that someone has been killed," said Larry Dearborn of Richmond, who served 21 years in the army.
"It used to be that they would just mark where they fell with a bayonette in the air with a helmet on it and a dog tag," explained Gary Laweryson, Chairman of the Maine Veterans Coordinating Committee.
Now that symbol, in bronze and granite, will forever be a part of the Maine Veterans' Memorial Cemetery in Augusta.
"It's the perfect monument in the perfect location and it fits," said Laweryson, who serves on the Veterans Memorial Cemetery Association.
On Veterans' Day, folks from all over the state came to a special monument unveiling ceremony.
"I wanted to see this thing put up in memory of our soldiers, the ones that are gone," said Dearborn.
Living veterans joined families like Margaret Wallace's to watch the dedication. Wallace's husband served 32 years in the Navy and passed away last April. His white headstone is just feet away from the new monument.
"We noticed the monument was covered and we thought we got to see what it was," said Wallace of Hallowell.
On a day filled with a lot of events for veterans, this one made them stop and pause. And that's what they hope the monument will continue to do, for all of those who visit and recognize what this symbol represents.
Dearborn said, "It means an awful lot to us to see that the vets are being recognized."
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