Salem 2026 Memorial Day Ceremony

On May 25th at 11:00am

The Mayor and the Salem Veterans Council

invite you to attend the annual Memorial Day ceremony

to be held outside at the

corner of Mason and Barstow Streets

for the dedication of a veteran square in honor of

US Army Sergeant

John Dean Ahearn

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

He was assigned to Company ‘L’ of the 255th Infantry Regiment/ 63rd Infantry ‘Blood and Fire” Division in the Rhineland, western Germany. Reported as Missing in Action on April 9, 1945, he was later confirmed as Killed in Action. Sergeant Ahearn is buried at the Lorraine, France. Sergeant Ahearn’s awards include the Purple Heart (awarded posthumously), the Combat Infantryman Badge, the Asiatic Pacific Campaign medal, the European-African-Middle Easten Campaign medal, and the Army Good Conduct Medal.

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