North Kingstown VFW Commemorates WWI Centennial

By David A. Ainslie, USA Ret

NORTH KINGSTOWN, RI— On Thursday, April 6 at 6 p.m., North Kingstown VFW Post 152 and members of the local community will conduct a wreath laying ceremony at the World War One monument located in Updike Park on Brown Street in Wickford. The wreath laying will commemorate the beginning of America’s entry into the Great War in 1917.

The monument in the park bears the names of the men and women from North Kingstown who served and died during the war.

The wreath laying follows Governor Gina M. Raimondo’s signing of an Executive Order establishing the
Rhode Island World War One Centennial Commission. This state commission will support the
mission of the United States World War One Commission, which was established by an Act of
Congress in 2013. Members of the 12-member Commission were appointed by the President and the
leaders of the Senate and the House of Representatives, as well as the American Legion, the Veterans of
Foreign Wars, and the National World War I Museum. All four living former Presidents have agreed to
serve the commission as honorary chairmen.

The RIWW1CC will be chaired by Matthew McCoy, a resident of North Kingstown and a life member of
VFW Post 152. The Commission’s mission is to plan, develop, and execute programs, projects and activities
throughout Rhode Island to commemorate the Centennial of World War I. The Commission will
serve as the lead organizer for Rhode Island’s commemorative events and will coordinate the activities of
individuals and institutions as they tell the story of the Great War. The Commission’s mission is to
raise awareness of and give meaning to the events the Great War using educational experiences and
programming for all ages.