Saugus to hold Memorial Day activities May 25

SAUGUS – The 2013 Memorial Day parade will kick off on Saturday, May 25 at 9 a.m. on Jackson Street in Saugus. The parade will march through Cliftondale Square, along Lincoln Avenue and turn left onto Central Street. Marchers will turn right onto Winter Street to the veterans lot at Riverside Cemetery for graveside services. The parade will then reform and head to Saugus Town Hall for the final ceremony. All veterans are welcome to participate and join in the parade, and Saugus residents are urged to cheer the marchers along the parade route.Following the services, those who marched in the parade will proceed to the Marine Cpl. Scott J. Procopio American Legion Post.United States Marine Corps veteran Norm Hansen, who fought in World War II, will serve as Grand Marshall and LCDR Stephen R. Harris, USN (ret.), will be the keynote speaker. Harris was a Communications Officer and second in command of the USS Pueblo in 1968 when it was captured by North Korean forces in 1968.?He was in fact a cryptologic officer and the ship was attacked in international waters in January of 1968 by the North Koreans,” said Selectmen Chairman and Saugus Veterans Council President Capt. Steve Castinetti, USN (ret.). “They shot the ship up, killed one guy on board and took the other 81 or 82 guys captive for 11 months,” said Castinetti. “They spent 11 months of horror in captivity. They underwent daily beatings and starvation and psychological torture. They really went through a lot.”Castinetti said he bumped into Harris last year and when he saw him wearing a USS Pueblo hat, he asked him if he wanted to speak at the Saugus Memorial Day parade.?We got talking and it turns out he?s a cryptologist and I said, ?I was a cryptologist for 40 years,” said Castinetti. “We were just in different parts of the world at all times. I asked if he did any speaking and he said, ?I?ve probably done over 1,000 speeches.? I told him I would love him to be the keynote speaker at our Memorial Day parade ? We worked it out ? and I think it?s going to be an interesting day.”Victoria Rose Johnson, a fifth-grader from the Veterans Memorial Elementary School, will sing the National Anthem.?Tori comes from a proud military family background,” said a press release from the Saugus Veterans Council. “Her great-grandfather served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. Her uncle served as a medivac crew chief during the Vietnam Conflict. Her father served as an equipment operator with the Seabees in the U.S. Navy.”The parade will also feature World War II re-enactors from the 101st Airborne, 82nd Airborne and 26th Yankee Division along with Vietnam and Korean War re-enactors.?They?re going to put on a pretty good show as far as I can see,” said Castinetti. “They?re from all over the place and they do it for free. They do it out of the goodness of their hearts.”There will also be a display of field equipment on the front lawn at Town Hall including web gear and uniforms, a military jeep, various military weapons and period radio broadcasts on an adapted, original 1940s radio.Matt Tempesta can be reached at [email protected].