Salem Veteran Square Dedication Part Of City's Memorial Day Ceremony

SALEM, MA — The dedication of a veterans square in honor of Salem World War II veteran U.S. Army PFC Rene "Pete" Pelletier will be part of the city's Memorial Day program set for May 29.

Acting Mayor Robert McCarthy said the event will be moved from the traditional location of Greenlawn Cemetery to the intersection of Gardner and Cabot streets where a veteran square will be dedicated to the memory of Pelletier, who was killed in action in Germany two months prior to the end of World War II.

The event will be at 11 a.m.

"We are proud to celebrate this holiday in Salem — and across the United States — for honoring and mourning the U.S. military personnel who have died while serving in the United States armed forces," the city said on Tuesday.

PFC Pelletier's sister and other family members are expected to be in Salem for the ceremony.

Salem veterans, families and the general public are invited to attend the event.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)