The Town of Bethel Posted this statement with attached photo earlier today:
Bethel's 1928 "Spirit of the American Doughboy" statue is carefully lifted from its base and prepared for transit to a foundry for restoration. The Doughboy will return this fall.
According to Wikipedia, The Spirit of the American Doughboy is a pressed copper sculpture by E. M. Viquesney, designed to honor the veterans and casualties of World War I. Mass-produced during the 1920s and 1930s for communities throughout the United States, the statue's design was the most popular of its kind, spawning a wave of collectible miniatures and related memorabilia as well as numerous copies by other artists. Its title is often shortened to "The Doughboy", and in some locales it is nicknamed Iron Mike.