By JOSEPH FITZGERALD

WOONSOCKET — Of all of the late Jacques E. Staelen's accomplishments, the one he was most proud of was his work to bring the Merci Boxcar to the city in 1999 and to help establish the Lt. Georges Dubois Veterans exhibit that houses the boxcar at the Museum of Work and Culture.

“In his heart this was the accomplishment he was most proud of,” his son, Jacques E. Staelen Jr., told 100 or so city residents who came out Wednesday for a Veterans Day observance ceremony at the museum. “My dad thought of it (boxcar) as a thank you gift from his homeland in France to his new home in America.”
Wednesday's ceremony was dedicated in memory of Staelen, who died in June at the age of 84 after an accident where he and his wife, Andree, were badly hurt. Mrs. Staelen recovered from her injuries and was in attendance with other family members yesterday.
Staelen was widley known for his work to promote Franco culture and keep local Franco-American connections active in the city — he received honors from France and Quebec for his local efforts and was given the Chevalier of the French National Order of Merit by French President Francois Mitterand and the Chevalier of the French Legion of Honor by French President Jacques Chirac.
But it was his work to acquire the Merci Boxcar and the development in 2005 of the permanent Lieutenant Georges Dubois Veterans wing of the Museum he considered his crowning achievement.
The museum's namesake, George Dubois, was Staelen's father-in-law, a French lieutenant who rode to battle in World War I in the same “40 et 8” boxcars the French government used after World II to create its “Merci Train” thanking the American people for their help in liberating the country from German occupation.
With the help of the late state Sen. Alphonse Auclair, Staelen had collected a treasury of information on the Merci Train made up of 49 boxcars, one for each American state, that had toured the country in 1949. The Boxcar for Rhode Island like those of the other states, contained an assortment of French products residents of France had sent the United States as gifts of gratitude. The Rhode Island Boxcar was driven into Providence by then Gov. John O. Pastore on train out of Woonsocket.
The gifts it contained, including a silk wedding gown, delicate vases, sculptures, rare paintings, dolls and other children’s toys, were put on display at the Statehouse. Some of the post World War II treasures can now be viewed at the Museum of Work and Culture.
The Rhode Island boxcar spent many years in the woods of Burlingame State Park before being moved to a Charlestown junk yard and then the yard of Betty and Fred Tanner’s home in East Greenwich where Staelen and Auclair found it. They were eventually able to win the boxcar’s donation to the Rhode Island Historical Society and after a restoration, move it inside the city museum.
“He was the driving force behind the the Merci boxcar,” said Romeo Berthiaume, master of ceremonies, who noted that Staelen had actually been working on plans for yesterday's Veterans Day event at the museum at the time of his death.
In fact, the annual tradition of honoring local war heroes at the museum on Veterans Day was largely the idea of Staelen, who was a longtime member and chairman of the Veterans Day Program Planning Committee.
Mayor-elect Leo T. Fontaine, one of several speakers yesterday, noted the longevity of Staelen's service to the city, as well as the efforts of the late former Woonsocket Mayor and Veterans Day Planning Commitee member Francis Lanctot, calling them shining examples of community service.
“They gave of their time when they were younger and then came back to serve in so many ways over the years,” Fontained noted.
Officials of the George Dubois Veterans Wing of the museum decided the theme of this year's observance would center on the veterans of the Vietnam War, a war in which 58,000 Americans gave their lives from 1964 to 1973, including 17 men from Woonsocket.
During that time, there were 304,000 Americans wounded in action and 2,000 Americans are still missing in action.
“Thirty percent of all living veterans in America served in Vietnam,” Berthiaume noted.
Berthiaume also told the story of Ed W. “Too Tall” Freeman (Nov. 20, 1927 - Aug. 20, 2008), a United States Army helicopter pilot who received the U.S. military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor, for his actions in the Battle of Ia Drang during the Vietnam War. During the battle, Berthiaume explained, Freeman flew through gunfire numerous times, bringing supplies to a trapped American battalion and flying dozens of wounded soldiers to safety.
One of the more poignant moments of the ceremony was when William Marrah read the names of the 17 Woonsocket men who died in Vietnam. They were: Sgt. Richard M. Beauregard, Pfc. Ronald J. Brissette, 2nd Lt. Dennis E. Burke, Pfc. Lucien G. Carpentier, Cpl. Rene R. Coutu, A1/C Alan D. Curtis, Cpl. Richard E. Ducharme, Pfc. Paul L. Durand, Sgt. Robert J. Friske, Cpl. Craig B. Holt, S. Sgt. Henry R. Lambert, Sp.4 Richard W. Lauzon, Cpl. Gerald H. Lavoie, Sp/4 Robert N. Lebrun, S. Sgt. James M. Ray and Sp/5 Anthony Silba.
The program also served as a sort of history class for those not familiar with the Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina War. In their presentation to the crowd, Woonsocket High School Junior ROTC members Jacob Berard and Rachel Miale explained that Vietnam was part of the Cold War to stop the advancement of Communism in Southeast Asia. The war was fought between the communist North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of South Vietnam, supported by the United States and other anti-communist nations.
The United States entered the war to prevent a communist takeover of South Vietnam as part of a wider strategy of containment. Military advisors arrived beginning in 1950. U.S. involvement escalated in the early 1960s, with U.S. troop levels tripling in 1961 and tripling again in 1962. U.S. combat units were deployed beginning in 1965. Involvement peaked in 1968 at the time of the Tet Offensive. After this, U.S. ground forces were withdrawn as part of a policy called Vietnamization. Despite the Paris Peace Accords, signed by all parties in January 1973, fighting continued.
The Case-Church Amendment, passed by the U.S. Congress in response to the anti-war movement, prohibited direct U.S. military involvement after Aug. 15, 1973. U.S. military and economic aid continued until 1975. The capture of Saigon by North Vietnamese army in April 1975 marked the end of Vietnam War. North and South Vietnam were reunified the following year.
The war exacted a huge human cost in terms of fatalities, including 3 to 4 million Vietnamese from both sides, 1.5 to 2 million Laotians and Cambodians, and more than 58,000 U.S. soldiers.
Yesterday's program also included a flag-folding ceremony by members of the Woonsocket High School ROTC, which was narrated by Suzanne B. Bernier. Roger Bouchard of WNRI read the lyrics to “Taps,” which was played by John Perilli and Brett Armstrong of the Mount St. Charles Band. Several local veterans who served in Vietnam were introduced as were  representatives from the Rhode Historical Society, Daughter of the American Revolution and Rhode Island National Guard.
Several re-enactors were present, and local performers Charles Desaulniers and Jean O'Donnell were the guest soloists.
Following the outdoor ceremony, the museum was open to the general public, which got the opportunity to view the Lieutenant Georges Dubois Veterans gallery up close.
The 2009 Veterans Day Planning Committee included Romeo Berthiaume, Raymond Bacon, Suzanne B. Bernier, Anne Conway, William Marrah, Julien Mitchel, Paul Papineau, Rogert Petit, Tom Sanzi and Marshall Sloat.