Marine Sergeant William Simpson, 25, will be carrying a heavy burden when he runs the five miles of the July 4^th Mattapoisett Road Race on Saturday. With a heavy heart and a 70-pound pack on his back, Simpson, a Mattapoisett native and graduate from Old Rochester Regional High School, will be wearing his fatigues while he runs the race to honor seven fellow special forces Marines killed when their U.S. Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter crashed during a training mission near Eglin, Florida on March 10. Five of the young men, said Simpson, were close friends of his.

Last year, Simpson ran the 5K with a 45-pound pack on his back in honor of his friend Marine Sergeant William Woitowitz, who was killed in Afghanistan on June 7, 2011. Simpson recalled his run last year during a cellphone interview on June 30 from his airplane in San Diego getting ready to take off for Boston that afternoon.

“As I was running, I kept hearing people say, ‘Oh, good job!’ And ‘Hey, number 858!’” said Simpson. “I kept wondering, why does everybody love this boy so much and I started looking around. I asked my buddy, ‘Hey what number am I?’ Then I realized I was 858.”

He knew he wanted to run the race again this year and contemplated running with a 50-pound pack, even though he described last year’s run as “miserable.” He decided, instead, that he would fill his pack this time with two 35-pound weights – ten pounds for each of the seven fallen friends.

With a little optimism in his voice, he hopes the weather will be less hot and that he will be able to run the entire race without having to slow down to a walk at some point before crossing the finish line.

“My goal is to finish in the same time as last year,” said Simpson, although this year his weight will be almost doubled. And adding to the pain will be the chafing of the pack against a fresh tattoo on his back. The tattoo depicts a ship with seven cannons, one for each of the Marines who were killed. In the background, he said, is a rendering of a lighthouse from the hometown of one of the Marines.

So if you are struggling to reach the finish line on Saturday when you spot Simpson running those Mattapoisett miles sweating and panting in his fatigues carrying the weight of the loss of his friends, Simpson said you can draw inspiration from that to get yourself through the pain to the end.

“It’s not the distance, it’s the pain,” said Simpson. “But it’s nothing like the pain the wives and daughters of the seven Marines who died have to deal with. There is physical pain, but it doesn’t hurt as much as the pain of the loss of someone you love.”

The names of the seven Marines that Simpson is honoring are Staff Sgt. Kerry Kemp, 27; Staff Sgt. Marcus Bawol, 26; Staff Sgt. Andrew Seif, 26; Staff Sgt. Trevor Blaylock, 29; Captain Stanford H. Shaw III, 31; Master Sgt. Thomas A. Saunders, 33; and Staff Sgt. Liam A. Flynn, 33. All were from the 2^nd Special Operations Battalion of the U.S. Marine Corps Special Operations Command.

By Jean Perry

By now it is no secret that the most exciting addition to Tri-Town annual Independence Day events is the return of the Marion fireworks display, after skipping a year due to a lack of funding. This year, Marion Recreation is proud to present the 2015 firework display on July 4^th beginning at 9:15 pm from a barge off Silvershell Beach.

Preceding the fireworks is a free concert at Silvershell Beach put on by the Marion Concert Band at 8:00 pm. This patriotic themed show is the kick-off to the band’s summer season. Under the direction of Tobias Monte, the band will perform songs including “God Bless America,” “The Stars and Stripes Forever,” and “America the Beautiful.”

Earlier in the day, Marion will host its annual Fourth of July parade at 9:00 am, beginning at the ball field beside the Town House and heading east on main Street to Spring Street and north to Route 6.

Also in Marion is the annual Marion Horse Show at Washburn Memorial Park, starting at 8:30 am and running until 4:00 pm.

Mattapoisett will hold its 45^th annual July 4^th five-mile Mattapoisett Road Race beginning at Shipyard Park at 9:00 am. The course winds its way through the scenic roads of Mattapoisett, around Ned’s Point Lighthouse, and then back to the village wharf area.

For fireworks in the surrounding areas, Middleboro will hold its fireworks display at 10:00 pm at Battis Field/Pierce Playground on Jackson Street.

New Bedford’s awesome fireworks display over New Bedford Harbor starts early at 9:00 pm, and there are also fireworks starting at 9:15 pm in New Bedford at 328 Park Street in the center of the field.

We at The Wanderer wish all of you a safe and happy Fourth of July. Happy Birthday America!

By Jean Perry

The weather held out on June 27 for the 19^th annual Marion Village 5K.

About 250 runners flocked to Tabor Academy’s waterfront to prepare for the 3.1 mile race where the top 20 runners all ran times under 20 minutes.

Andrew Sukeforth won the race for the second year in a row in an impressive time of 16:02, over a minute ahead of the next finisher. Yet the course record still belongs to Jarrod Shoemaker, who captured it 10 years ago in a time of 14:15.

Next came Marion resident Tim Bolick in a time of 17:07 to take second overall. Then Bill Whelan of Wareham came in with a time of 17:49.

Fourth overall and first for the women was Devyn Pryor in an outstanding time of 18:33, finishing 45 seconds ahead of the next female. Meg Hughes, at age 13, finished 10^th as the second woman in a time of 19:18.

Locals rounded out the top 10: Frederick Warburg and Paul Bolick of Marion finished 4^th and 5^th overall. Adam Sylvia of Rochester came in 7^th while Tom Gelson of Marion finished in 9^th.

In the 1-13 age group, there were 40 participants. The top three youth females were Meg Hughes, Grace Russell, and Rachel Zutaut. For the males, 10-year-old Harrison Hughes was first in a time of 19:37 followed by Marion residents Joshua Herndon and Bude Gelson.

Of the 19 high school runners, Alivia Bienz of Marion finished first for the ladies, followed by Emily Josephson of Rochester and Lulu Russell of Marion. For the boys, Adam Sylvia was first by over a minute followed by Evan Tilley of Rochester and Samuel Ferreira of Lakeville.

In the Female Submaster category (ages 30-39), Beckett Warburg of Marion led the way in a time of 22:12 followed by Jennifer Norige and Tara Couto. For the men, Frederick Warburg of Marion finished first in 18:43 followed by Brian Ayotte and Michael Phillips.

In the Female Master category, Marion native Gina Shield was first in 23:08, followed by Lisa Horan of Marion and Lynette Dochaine of Mattapoisett.

Sal Corrao of Mattapoisett led the Male Master’s in a time of 19:33 followed by Timothy Horan of Marion and Richard Cole of Westport.

In the Female Senior category, Janice Burston and Kathy Lopes finished just ahead of Marion’s Teresa Mattson.

Marion’s Paul Bolick and Tom Gelson led the male seniors followed by Lee Stover.

Anne Shoemaker of Marion was the first of the Female Veterans followed by Joanie Peterson and Mattapoisett’s Teresa Dall.

Mark Norige, Jeffrey Osuch, and Steve Morris were the top three Male Veterans.

Rachel McGourthy of Mattapoisett was the only woman over 70 to race, finishing in 37:14. William Jennings (72) and Joseph Oliveira (73) finished the course in times of 32:25 and 36:24 respectively.

Tabor Cross Country and Track Coach Chris Adams directed the race, which was once again a success, closing with a raffle, food, and prizes. Kathy Adams assisted in putting on the race as well as a number of Adams’ former and current Tabor athletes.

Next up for local races is the five-mile Mattapoisett 4^th of July Road Race at Shipyard Park at 9:00 am.

By Julia O’Rourke

During a swearing-in ceremony on June 30, Marion said farewell to Chief Thomas Joyce, its 12^th fire chief, and welcomed Chief Brian Jackvony, its 13^th fire chief.

Jackvony was officially sworn in before an audience in the Marion Music Hall, which was drenched in afternoon sunlight, with firefighters and Honor Guard members from the Police Department surrounding the perimeter of the room, and family, friends, and supporters seated beside and behind the new fire chief.

The ceremony began with firefighters and the Honor Guard, dressed in full uniform, marching in led by the traditional sounds of the bagpipes. Marion Selectman Jody Dickerson opened the ceremony and addressed Jackvony, his wife Linda, two sons, and some colleagues from Cumberland and other surrounding towns in Rhode Island.

“To our neighbors in Rhode Island, we welcome you to Marion,” Dickerson said.

Selectmen Chairman Stephen Cushing said it was not only a time for celebrating as the town welcomes its new fire chief, but also a time for honoring the man who has served in the fire chief position for the last six years.

Cushing said he admires Jackvony’s sense of family and community, saying Jackvony has a vision, not just for the Town of Marion Fire Department, but also for the fire service profession in general.

“We have no doubt he will emerge as a strong and effective leader of the Marion Fire Department,” said Cushing.

After the official swearing-in performed by Town Clerk Ray Pickles, Jackvony addressed those in attendance from the podium.

“I am very excited to have this opportunity at this point in time in my career with the Marion Fire Department,” said Jackvony. “This is a proud, vibrant, and well-organized Fire Department.”

Jackvony praised the Fire Department’s dedication to the Town of Marion and the dedication of many of the Fire Department’s members who have served as firefighters for many years.

“I am in awe when they tell me how long they’ve been with the department,” said Jackvony.

As for the future of Marion, Jackvony said his main goals are to “build community equity” and engage the community through neighborhood programs to help reduce the number of fires and household accidents.

Jackvony then turned to Joyce and said, “I have quickly come to realize that I have very large shoes to fill.” He continued, “The respect [the members of the Fire Department] have for their chief is obvious. It is now my job to earn the trust of these men and women…”

Jackvony quoted Sir Isaac Newton when he said, “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.” Now he sees, Jackvony said, that he is indeed standing on the shoulders of giants.

During his fond farewell to Joyce, Cushing said Joyce had exceeded all the town’s expectations during his tenure, noting his accomplishments, including the merger of the Emergency Medical Service and the Fire Department “at a time when everyone thought such a merger was impossible.”

“People can look around and say, ‘He made a difference,’” Cushing said. “Tom Joyce, you made a difference. And our grateful community says ‘Thank you.’”

By Jean Perry