LYNN — Freedom has a cost, which was evident as the city of Lynn gathered to remember the fallen on Memorial Day.
Michael Sweeney, Lynn veterans services director, said too often, people see Memorial Day as being synonymous with sales, or they take the long weekend and don’t participate in anything honoring those who have sacrificed so much for our nation.
Sweeney urged the crowd at the second of two Lynn events honoring the fallen veterans on Monday, at the Pine Grove Cemetery Sunken Garden, which immediately followed the parade, to stay and look at the 293 flags that represented the people from Massachusetts who have lost their lives while serving the country since 9/11.
Those flags include five from Lynn — SPC Antonio Syrakos, LCpl Walter O’Haire, PO2 Andrew Clement, SPC Gabriel Palacios, and SPC Justin DeArco.
Syrakos’ mother, Doris, led the Pledge of Allegiance during the ceremony.
“We want people to understand that there are an awful lot of families that every day is Memorial Day and we want to be there for them,” Sweeney said.
This year also marks the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I.
Sweeney said McDonough Square in Lynn is named after a soldier from West Lynn killed in World War I in October 1918, Thomas McDonough. He read a letter written to McDonough’s father by his comrade, Cecil Goodwin, who was wounded by the same shell that killed McDonough.
Mayor Thomas M. McGee said it’s important to remember the sacrifices of those who gave their lives to keep this country free.
“Remember as this day goes by that we’re here because of their sacrifices,” McGee said.
State Sen. Brendan Crighton (D-Lynn) said the city of Lynn has a long history of supporting its veterans and remembering the fallen, which can be seen on its monuments and statues, the veterans services department at City Hall, and which was evident at Monday’s ceremony.
“As I look out into the crowd today, I see all walks of life, all ages, but we all come here together united to remember those that paid the ultimate sacrifice,” Crighton said. “It’s what makes our city beautiful and it’s just a special day.”
Earlier in the day, the Polish Legion of American Veterans (PLAV) Post 56 and Auxiliary also hosted a Memorial Day ceremony, where names of those from West Lynn who served in World War II and the Korean War were read. The remembrance was pushed inside from Breed Square, where the names appear on the monument, to the basement of St. Michael’s Hall.
Honored at both ceremonies was James DePhilippo, who died last week. He was a past commander of the PLAV, Korean War veteran and someone who either served as the MC or was a common fixture at every event honoring veterans for more than 30 years.
“He was the one who beat it into our heads that Veterans Day is for the living veteran and on Memorial Day, we honor the fallen,” Sweeney said. “He’s a friend, we miss him and I think it’s important to mention the imprint he’s had on the city of Lynn veterans events and the PLAV over the years.”
State Rep. Daniel Cahill (D-Lynn) said when he was younger and would attend similar events, he found himself wondering if he would have the strength to give up his life for something else, and really admired the service members who did.
But as he got older and had a family, his thought process changed, and he realized that not only did they give up their own lives, but they gave up their rights to a family — he found himself thinking what a tragedy that would be.
“So, as we celebrate today and honor those who have given their lives, if you have a family, think of how gracious and lucky we are to have that right and it was because of those men and women who gave up their lives and their rights that we were able to enjoy our families on Memorial Day,” Cahill said.
Ward 6 City Councilor Peter Capano, chairman of the City Council Veterans Committee and a veteran, said one way to show respect for the contributions our fallen heroes have made for us is to exercise the rights that they have defended for us, including the right to freedom of assembly, freedom of the press, freedom of religion and right to vote.
“This Memorial Day, as we gather with friends and family, please remember the brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country,” Capano said. “Every generation bears the scars of war and the soldiers who died for our freedom deserve our recognition and honor.”
As Swampscott and Lynn work to align their veterans services, Sweeney also led the Memorial Day ceremony at the Swampscott Cemetery, Veterans Lot, which honored the town’s fallen.
Sweeney said the most powerful moment during the ceremony was the wreath laying by Gold Star parents, Raymond Harris, father of Jennifer Harris, and Jaclyn Raymond, mother of Jared Raymond.
On Sept. 19, 2006, Raymond, an Army specialist, became Swampscott’s first casualty of the Iraq War at the age of 20 when his tank hit an explosive device. Harris, a 28-year-old U.S. Marine Corps captain, died Feb. 7, 2007 when the CH-46 Sea Knight Helicopter she was piloting went down in Al Anbar Province, Iraq.
The wreath was laid in honor of their children and all of Swampscott’s fallen.
“On a three-day weekend, many of us are excited to spend that with our families, but this is really the one weekend of the year where we stop and think about those citizens who have paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom,” said Town Administrator Sean Fitzgerald.
Fitzgerald said it was also important to acknowledge and remember the historic significance of World War I, where more than 350 Swampscott residents enlisted and a number paid the ultimate price for protecting our values and our way of life.
“I think it’s humbling to stand in the shadow of their sacrifices, but as we go off to our parties and our families, it’s important to pause and reflect upon these sacrifices,” Fitzgerald said.
