David O. Sivret - Hero To The Community

Hero to the community!

Born David Otis. Sivret. When addressing him informally he was known to most as “Father David” or in the regard they served with him, simply “Chaplain sivret.” This formally was a separate story.
He was indeed a hero to the community; some have said he was the type of person who saw a need and would work to best solve it. He was also instrumental in providing places where people felt they belonged, and he delivered on that time and time again. Such as initiating and following through on the process of opening up the very building presently used for the local vets in Calais, Maine, to come together and feel as though they had a place they could call their own. Outside of the traditional VFW model. That building is “The Calais Veterans Center.”

However, let’s look at other aspects of David’s life to get a genuine perspective of David as more than just an enlisted member of society.

David’s Personal Life:

David O. Sivret-Kiss the ring

Who was David? David was many things to many people, a husband, Father, chaplain, Hero, and Coach. The list goes on.
What is evident in all of that, is that David was an authentic person. I had the opportunity to meet David in person at a Veteran’s Day event held at my church, Baring baptist church. “Wreaths Across America” a short introduction albeit an introduction no less, he had many things to be concerned about that night so it made sense, but it dawned on me through the course of the event that he was a person of character. And from talking to our mutual friend, Bobby Oliver, it occurred to me that this man appreciated comedy and making those around him laugh until they cried.

In one particular story Bobby Oliver told me about, I can see that. But as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. I’ll give some context and let the photo do the rest. David was a chaplain major, and a friend of his, who was a Major general as a gag related to David’s position as an Episcopal priest, would kneel down and kiss his ring in acknowledgment.

David’s time Enlisted:

David first enlisted in Maine’s Army National Guard in 1976, serving with the 152nd Maintenance Co. He also got his seminary degree in 1987 from Bangor Theological Seminary. Then In 1988 he was ordained a priest. In 2003 David deployed to Mosul Iraq as a chaplain for the Maine National Guard’s 133rd Engineer Battalion, w he would go on to receive the Purple Heart on December 21st, 2004, earning such a metal for his valiant efforts during an apparent “suicide bombing at an Army dining hall near Mosul, Iraq, that killed 21 people, including 18 Americans. Two of which were National Guardsmen with Maine’s 133rd Engineer Battalion: Specialist Thomas J. Dostie, 20, and Sergeant Lynn R. Poulin Sr., 47.”

Here’s an excerpt from “the Boston Globe,” on the story they covered in 2005. This was David’s perspective after the suicide bombing went off near the dining hall.

“Next thing I knew, I was on the floor next to the soldier who was sitting next to me. He was dead. I stayed down for a few moments listening for another blast. I called on my hand-held [radio] for medical help. I then realized I couldn’t hear. I think I was in shock. I had to get past my own anger for the time and pray for the wounded. I went outside to give last rites to the dead soldiers and civilians. After we had cared for our departed soldiers, I was taken to the aid station to be checked out. It was determined that I would get my hearing back in my left ear, but that my right eardrum had ruptured. I also had a very small piece of shrapnel in my left knee.”

David’s involvement in the community:

David O. Sivret

David Sivret wore many hats. He was certainly an active member in the community. One such role was within the Calais, Maine “boys and girls tennis teams” where he acted as one of two assistant coaches. He also had a heart for building out food pantries and thrift shops within churches.

He had this to say regarding local pantries when questioned in an article by “The Calais News” back in 2019. Concerning matched donations from local “businessman Ian Pratt.”

“The food pantry can buy their food much more economically,” Pratt said, explaining that when money, rather than non-perishables, is donated to the pantries, the pantries can use the money for building upkeep if needed, or even to purchase food at much lower prices than the average consumer.
Fr. David Sivret of the Irene Chadbourne Ecumenical Food Pantry in Calais explained that a dollar is spread much further when the pantry spends it at the Good Shepherd Food Bank. And for the Calais pantry, shopping occurs locally as well, and those donated dollars help tremendously.”

David went on to comment about the difficulty from time to time getting certain foods through Good Shepherd.

“We do a lot of local purchasing,” Fr. Sivret said. “Some things we can’t get at Good Shepherd.” He said, for example, that sometimes Good Shepherd does not have eggs. It also does not have available certain types of pasta. “We shop around for the best price,” he said.”