Captain Arthur E. Powell Survived All Theaters of War, But Couldn’t Survive the Mass. Court System

To the Editor,

In honor of Memorial Day and the Greatest Generation of World War II – Tom Brokaw’s phrase – the Merchant Marines, the overlooked veterans, were not recognized as true veterans until January 19, 1988. The war ended on August 15, 1945.

A local Merchant Mariner Arthur E. Powell of Wakefield, Mass. entered the service in October of 1940 as an able-bodied seaman after graduation from the Wakefield High School class of 1940.

In harm’s way, in heavy combat carrying ammunition and supplies to every theater of war in Europe and in the Pacific, Arthur Powell rose to the rank of Lt. Commander.

On April 15, 1946 he became the youngest sea captain in the history of this country at age 24, one of the Greatest Generation.

In 1949 he returned home to establish a successful business and engaged in real estate acquisitions. In 1973, the Melrose-Wakefield Trust Co., taken over by the Shawmut Bank, called in a line of credit and filed suit in Malden District Court to collect on it.

In subsequent court actions and judgments that we felt were unfair and ultimately illegal, we lost all of our possessions including our home, cars and even our clothes.

The outline of the case can be reviewed in the December 2015 issue of the Boston Broadside.

Captain Arthur E. Powell survived all the theaters of war, but couldn’t survive the Mass. court system. He died from stress on April 21, 1978. He was buried NAMELESS, HOMELESS, and PENNILESS as a result of his civil rights and due process being stolen without a hearing or trial to defend his property rights.

Today I am still fighting to have this injustice resolved and the records corrected to show the truth of what occurred; to have a wrong righted even after all these years.

I have followed your articles of Marvin Siegel’s case and express my heartfelt condolences to his daughters.

Our case is very similar with missing papers, false statements of attorneys, undocketed motions and defendants having to act pro se with no knowledge of the law.

Hopefully, the court will finally act on the law and restore Arthur E. Powell’s name and constitutional rights to due process and his property returned to his family as the law allows.

By his wife of 30 years,

Norma Powell,  P.O. Box 25, Wakefield, Mass.


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Captain Arthur E. Powell Survived All Theaters of War, But Couldn’t Survive the Mass. Court System