Memorial Day brings out record crowds - By Michelle Libby

The rain stopped just in time for the Windham Memorial Day parade on Monday morning and held off until the events were over at 2 p.m. Local Veterans and service organizations gathered for the parade to honor those who have served their country in the military. The parade traveled from the Windham Town Hall to the memorial in front of Windham High School. Hundreds of people gathered to listen to speeches given by Colonel Bob Akins and Senator Michael Michaud. 
 

“Today is the day we set aside the time to remember our fallen,” said Akins. After a lesson in the number of men and women who have served and died for our freedoms Akins told the crowd that history is important, however, “Memorial Day is best lived forward.”

The parade and ceremony were attended by many Windham World War II Veterans. They were John Cooper, Thomas Joyce, Patrick Lawler, Ralph McDonald, Carol McDonald, Bob Meeley, Don Rogers, John Rollins, Leonard Sanborn, Fred Scott and Ira Lyman. Out of the 100,000 WWII Veterans from Maine, only 8,160 remain, according to Brig. Gen. Don McCormack, who acted as the master of ceremony and organized the parade, which he has done for many years. The ceremony ended with the destroying of old American flags and a 21-gun salute from the Third Maine Reenactment detachment.

Everyone in attendance was invited back to the Windham Veterans Center for a cookout and ice cream. 

Awards were presented to Donna Morton for being named the American Legion Post 148 Teacher of the Year and it was also announced that she was named the State Legion Teacher of the Year as well, which was a surprise for her. 

McCormack was also recognized for his many years of service to the post, especially being instrumental in bringing back the Memorial Day parade. 

“It was a great day, filled with wonderful memories,” said American Legion Post 148 commander Mel Greenier.

A glimpse back in time... By Michelle Libby

Over Memorial Day weekend the Windham Historical Society was home to approximately 26 Civil War reenactors from the Third Maine Regiment Volunteer Infantry. With canvas tents, blankets and uniforms appropriate for the early 1860s, the regiment set up camp and invited the public to come visit them and experience what it might have been like for a soldier fighting in the Civil War.

Reenactors remained in character while visitors asked questions about food, guns, living conditions and the types of things the surgeon would do. 

Dave Gowen, a local business man in Windham, has been a part of the Third Maine for 20 years. He served as captain for 10 years in the elected position and then last year when the previous captain stepped down, he was elected as the captain again. 

Three women made up the Sanitary Commission, a civilian group that went around to different companies to make sure they were following basic sanitary rules. Carolyn Lawson, from Auburn and an adjunct professor at Bates College gave a presentation on Saturday about what her role would be been as someone on the Sanitary Commission. They also became a central gathering group for donations from community members. They collected everything from shirts to underwear, towels, soap, sewing kits, newspapers and more. “Anything you would send to a soldier in Afghanistan now,” said Tracy Williams. “Soldiers away from home still want home.” 

Red flannel “drawers” were believed to help prevent diarrhea, so people donated those. 

The Sanitary Commission also helped to standardize sizes and produced patterns for local women. They showed a hospital gown that opened on both sides, instead of up the back like today's gowns. Also, if the gown got soiled on one side, it was easy to remove the side and put on a clean one. 

One soldier sitting around the fire was a woman dressed in the wool uniform. Melissa Milligan, 27, of Portland, played the part of a woman who enlisted at 16 along with her brother and father. There were instances where it was estimated that 400 women were in the Army, but history has proved it was more like 700, according to Milligan. Her character died in Gettysburg and her father died before that, but her brother survived. .

On most of the encampments Rick Bray is the company cook. The menus, he said, are determined by what is available. Beef is kept in barrels and salt pork is a staple. The company drinks mostly water and coffee, he said. Breakfast was scrambled eggs, bacon, potatoes, strawberries, watermelon, grapes and coffee. Lunch on Saturday consisted of pulled pork and baked beans that had cooked over the wood fire all day. 

“Baked beans are a strong staple of the Army,” said Bray, who has been the cook for the Third Maine for 10 years. 

Twelve-year-old Tyi Williams and his brother 14-year-old Garrett Williams were inspired by their grandparents to be a part of the Third Maine. 

“You learn something, have new experiences and get to meet new people,” said Tyi. 

“I like the history and learning how they live,” said Garrett. One of the things they had to get used to was the camping. 

“It’s cold and it kept waking me up. The symphony of people kept me awake,” said Tyi. He acknowledged that having beans for lunch had made sleeping at night a bit more difficult. 

“Snoring, the same thing,” said Garrett. 

Having backstories makes the actors come alive to the people who visit the encampment. Tyi played the role of a 14-year-old and his brother played an 18-year-old. Questions are asked of each member of the regiment. Common questions, according to Gowen are “Did you really sleep here?” “Is that a real fire?” “Do you really eat here?” 

“All of the questions imply that it’s for show,” said Gowen. He assured the public that they do eat, sleep and work in the encampment. 

The Third Maine is made up of close to 50 volunteers from the southern Maine region. They do not all attend every event. They have an encampment usually once a month, along with a few day events. Last year the regiment went to Gettysburg to commemorate the 150^th anniversary. 

The regiment is always looking for new recruits. For more about Maine in the Civil War, visit www.thirdmaine.org.

Post-concussion program helps some patients heal faste - By Michelle Libby

In a week, physical therapists at OA Center for Orthopaedics in Windham, Portland, Saco and Brunswick will roll out a post-concussion therapy developed by staff physical therapist Bob Cochrane of Windham and Dusty Hurd. The program will be used on the 10 to 20 percent of concussed patients who do not get better after three weeks of rest, often still have symptoms like dizziness, sensitivity to light and slower reaction times. 
 

“It’s a misunderstood realm of medicine,” said Cochrane. “They are not visible with any kind of scan or imaging.” 

Concussions are caused by direct force trauma to the head. Most concussions resolve themselves in seven to 10 days. However there are a small percentage of patients who do not bounce back and need extra help.

According to the CDC, 1.6 to 3.8 million sports-related concussions happen every year. Thirty percent of all concussions are in athletes ages five to 19. There is also an increased incidence rate among high school and college females who play basketball and soccer. 

Dr. Jeffrey Bean sees close to 100 cases a year where a patient has a concussion. Bean, a DO, has a relationship with Windham High School and is the doctor students are referred to when they have a concussion. 

“Windham School system is ahead of the game for diagnosing and helping these kids in school,” Bean said. His focus is on getting the patients healthier. 

The test used at Windham High School is an IMPACT test that measures brain function and can signify cognitive issues rather than vestibular. “It’s a tool, but not the only answer to get back to sports,” he said. Getting a student back to class is more important to Bean. 

More attention has been given to concussions recently. The NFL has created a lot of concern about the severity of concussions. There has been an increase in the diagnosis of concussion recently. Cochrane said that it was because people know what to look for. There’s no more just shaking it off and getting back out on the field. 

“People are more aware of it…what to look for and potential ramifications long term,” said Bean. Bean describes a concussion like micro damage to the brain and it’s cumulative. It doesn’t repair itself.

“It’s a brain injury,” Cochrane stated. “There’s a huge need. I thought I could develop a program to get a lot of people better faster,” he said. 

The program was constructed painstakingly with research and evidence. The methods used to evaluate and treat the individual with this program is what is best to help them, Cochrane said. 

One part of the program deals with vestibular rehabilitation, which is part of the inner ear that communicates with the brain to sense movement. Vestibular talks to the eyes and the brain, but when that is off because of a concussion, it causes dizziness and the patient feels like they’re in a fog.  

The second part of the program is to work with the cervicogenic system (the neck) to help find new pathways to information a patient already knows. The third part is heart rate progression. With the increase in heart rate, symptoms usually increase in this population. Each time they get on a treadmill, they are seeing how long it is before the onset of symptoms. 

When a client first come to OA, they are tested on their saccadic eye movement, are given a full cervical exam and given a treadmill heart rate test. This will give the physical therapists a baseline to work with.

After a concussion, Bean recommends that patients limit the use of computers, the TV, reading, texting and listening to loud music. Anything that stimulates the brain should be avoided. Getting back to school work should be priority one. 

This concussion rehab is done on a case by case basis and all patients are given homework, which will help speed their recovery. 

Cochrane has been experimenting using this program since November, with very good results, he said. “It’s been overwhelmingly positive,” he said. One case he worked with a man who was in a motor vehicle accident and he wasn’t getting better. After two weeks working with Cochrane he was better and he was discharged after three weeks. 

Bean said that all the people they work with will get better, and this will help them get better faster. The program also works to increase and strengthen to cervical spine, which will speed the recovery. 

OA treats concussions and a wide variety of sports related injuries including casting broken bones and fitting athletes to new bicycles. For more about what they offer, visit www.orthoassociates.com.