ITEM PHOTO BY OWEN O’ROURKE
Amelia “Molly” Feeley participates in the pre-Memorial Day celebration at PondView Lodge in Lynn.
BY DILLON DURST
LYNN – Veterans got a special treat Thursday.
Students from Lynn Woods Elementary School sang patriotic songs for the retired vets at PondView Lodge, a senior care center that offers assisted living, home care and rehabilitation services.
The children sang the “National Anthem,” “My Country ‘Tis of Thee” and “Yankee Doodle.” Members of Lynn English High’s JROTC Color Guard performed as well, including a rifle spinning demonstration.
Francis “Sonny” Landry, a U.S. Marine Corps. and Army Airborne veteran, said he was grateful for the students’ performances. The 84-year-old served as a sniper in the Korean and Vietnam wars, and reached the rank of Sgt. First Class. He ended his 22-year military career as a member of the 82nd Airborne Division.
Landry said Memorial Day means “dedication to fellow members of the military,” and noted that he lost many good friends in combat.
U.S. Marine Corps. veteran Jack Harrington, 67, said PondView helped him through a liver transplant and back rehabilitation. Harrington, who served three years in Vietnam, said the center has been very good to him the past eight years.
“This place does so much,” he said.
Memorial Day reminds him of his friends and family, and brings back a lot of memories of his service in Vietnam, Harrington added.
At the end of the performance, Landry and Harrington gave each student a small American flag as a souvenir.
Dillon Durst can be reached at [email protected].
