Ceremonies and Presentations
No matter the conflict or field of battle, American soldiers of all races, colors, and creeds share one common belief – that freedom is worth fighting for; even dying for.
9/11 Remembrance
Memorial Day
Veterans Day
Remembering Lt. Calvin Ellis, Jr.
Written by John Tuzik, Selectman, Town of Hanover, MA
Calvin was born in 1921 to Calvin, Sr. and Berenice Ellis. He grew up on King Street in Hanover, Massachusetts. He could trace his Hanover roots back to 1718 and his family’s presence in Massachusetts back to 1650. Calvin’s fifth great grandfather served as a Hanover Selectman from 1750 to 1763.
He graduated from Amherst College in 1942 and married Mary Alice Bedale. He enlisted in the United States Army Air Corps on May 16, 1942. First Lieutenant Ellis flew 35 missions as a bombardier in a B24 Liberator with the 448th Bomber Group. He was killed in action over Lautenberg, Germany on April 4, 1945. He never returned to Hanover. His remains lie at the Ardennes American Cemetery in Belgium.
Calvin Ellis and many brave Americans gave their lives so strangers they had never met would be free from tyranny and oppression in all its evil forms. They left home, work, and family to defend something – an ideal bigger than themselves. They left, not knowing, but prepared they may never return. These patriots cherished freedom and loved America. Calvin Ellis, Jr., son of Hanover. We are grateful for your sacrifice.