Salem To Dedicate World World II Veteran Square On Memorial Day

SALEM, MA — Salem's annual Memorial Day ceremony will include the dedication of a veteran square in honor of U.S. Army Sgt. John Dean Ahearn.

The public is invited to attend the ceremony that is scheduled for May 25 at 11 a.m. outside at the corner of Mason and Barstow streets.

The ceremony will recognize Ahearn's military service during World War II and his death in combat after he was reported missing in action.

Ahearn was born July 20, 1919. One year before Pearl Harbor, he enlisted in the Army on Nov. 29, 1940, and trained for the infantry. After serving 36 months with the Army Air Corps in the Southwest Pacific, he volunteered for a European tour.

Ahearn was assigned to Company 'L' of the 255th Infantry Regiment, 63rd Infantry 'Blood and Fire' Division, in the Rhineland in western Germany. He was reported as missing in action on April 9, 1945, and was later confirmed killed in action.

He is buried in Lorraine, France.

Ahearn's awards include the Purple Heart, which was awarded posthumously, the Combat Infantryman Badge, the Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal, the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, and the Army Good Conduct Medal.

All are invited to attend the ceremony and a collation at the VFW on Derby Street immediately afterward.