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Acting veterans agent reports progress verifying missing World War II names for Worcester memorial
Summary
Acting veterans agent Alex Arriaga said staff have reduced an initial list of 265 possibly omitted WWII-era names to roughly 100–110 for further residency verification; exclusions include people on a Worcester County list who were not Worcester residents or those who died stateside rather than in combat zones.
Acting veterans agent Alex Arriaga updated the subcommittee on efforts to identify Worcester residents who served in World War II but are not currently commemorated on the city’s monument. Arriaga said staff have been reviewing historical records, newspapers and vital records to confirm residency and service details and have narrowed an initial county-level list of 265 names to about 100–110 candidates for further verification.
Arriaga explained reasons some names were omitted from the original monument: the earlier compilation used a Worcester County list that includes people who were not Worcester residents, and the monument’s existing criteria have prioritized deaths in service or deaths that occurred in the line of duty. He said the department is examining whether to expand memorial criteria to be more inclusive and more aligned with the World War I Grove at Greenhill Park.
Chair John Frasola and several councilors thanked Arriaga for the work and noted the effort is time-intensive. Clerk AJ Pottle and the committee agreed to file the informational communication so the veterans office can continue its verification work and return with a more detailed report.
