LYNN — The city’s annual Veterans Day ceremonies filled City Hall with hundreds of veterans and their families being served breakfast by local officials and honored in Veterans Memorial Auditorium.
“It shows so much respect to those who served and love their country,” Risolvo Visegna, 85, who served in the U.S. Army in 1956 through 1958 and in the reserves for six years afterward.
“A lot of us didn’t volunteer to serve, it’s important to honor that.”
Past National President of the Polish Legion of American Veterans, Joan Noble, 81, who comes from a military family and has logged thousands of hours at the Bedford Veteran Affairs Medical Center, was happy to see a large turnout.
“It’s extremely important to honor the sacrifice people have made for all of us,” she said.
The event, hosted by the Lynn Department of Veteran Affairs, chose to serve breakfast as a way to honor veterans.
“We tried to find a tangible way to thank our veterans, this was a small way of doing that,” Director of Lynn Veteran’s Services and Afghanistan veteran, Mike Sweeney said.
“Every day is a blessing, nobody knows that better than those who have worn the uniform.”
Shoemaker Post Commander and veteran Jack Marino took time out of the day to visit the event, before joining other post members at Market Basket in Lynn to teach the public about the American flag, including everything it represents and means and how it should properly be treated.
“I like that the city does this, it is not done as much as it should,” he said.
Marino also mentioned how the day serves as an important day of remembrance, pointing to the fallen soldier pin on his hat that he wears in tribute to his late friend Tom Moore, a Vietnam Marine Corps Veteran.
The day gave veterans, families, and friends a rare chance to get together, which meant a lot to some of them on Saturday.
“I came here to maybe see some friends and catch up with them,” Marine Corps veteran from 2002 through 2005, Bob Hynes said.
“This gets you around a lot of people with familiar experiences that you otherwise wouldn’t see.”
Bobby Richardson, a 20-year veteran from 1947 to 1967 enjoyed the event for similar reasons.
“It’s great to come down here and be with my comrades and talk about the old times,” he said.
Past President of the Lyons Club and Vietnam Era veteran Bob Hartshorn was humbled by all the different people at the event.
“There’s a lot of stories to listen to in this room.
“Today is all about honoring those who served young and old,” he said mentioning his son, Lee, who is a currently a Coast Guard instructor.
After breakfast and conversation, everyone gathered in the Lynn Auditorium, where speakers including Mayor Judith Flanagan Kennedy and mayor-elect Thomas McGee thanked veterans.
“One thing that bonds all veterans is the selflessness that they give,” Kennedy said, also taking time to thank Cambodian military veterans who served alongside the U.S. military in the past.
The award-winning Lynn English High School Marine Corps Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps was also a hit, helping to organize the event, serving as a color guard, and receiving thunderous applause after their performances.
To conclude the day, each veteran was invited to come on stage and tell the audience when, where, and for what branch they served, before being given a commemorative pin from the city.
Decorated Marine Corps Vietnam Veteran, Tom Salvi loved every second of the event.
“Lynn is truly a city for the veterans,” he said.
