The North Shore was teeming with Memorial Day activities — much of it outdoors, as this was the first holiday since the COVID-19 pandemic began last March where people could observe in traditional ways.
Peabody, Saugus, Swampscott and Nahant went live, while Lynn and Lynnfield remained virtual.
Lynn hosted a Memorial Day ceremony at the sunken gardens in Pine Grove Cemetery on May 28 and streamed the video through Lynn Community Television’s website, social media platforms and its local channels.
Lynn-Swampscott Veterans Services Director Michael Sweeney said the purpose of this Memorial Day program was to remember the names of people who have made the ultimate sacrifice.
“There are brothers, sisters and cousins who have lost family, and we have to keep days like this alive so that we know that we’re doing at least our part so their names are not forgotten,” Sweeney said.
Mayor Thomas M. McGee spoke at the ceremony and said that Memorial Day is a day to honor our heroes and to “pay tribute to our service members who have sacrificed their lives so that each of us can enjoy the comfort of freedom and liberty.”
Rep. Peter Capano expressed his recognition and appreciation to veterans, saying that freedom isn’t free.
“The men and women who served and gave their lives for us, as we recognize them, we also need to recognize their families and the hardships they have been through,” Capano said.
Lynn native Brig. Gen. Andrea Gayle-Bennett, an Iraq veteran and the first female, African-American colonel in the Army National Guard, was the guest speaker at this event.
Sweeney referred to Gayle-Bennett as an impressive person who has served this country for over 35 years; she served in Iraq and as a physician’s assistant for many soldiers.
Gayle-Bennett said this day brings a lot of memories and emotions, and that it is a somber day of reflection.
“Memorial day is about the selfless sacrifice of American heroes who raised their right hands to say ‘I will defend America, and if needed, lay down my life for my country,’” said Gayle-Bennett.
The ceremony ended with the reading of over 400 names of fallen veterans from Massachusetts.
At Swampscott Cemetery, nearly 200 people gathered to pay their respects around the veterans’ section near the far entrance.
“Here we are, in person, without masks,” remarked Selectwoman Polly Titcomb.
However, she said, while the pandemic might have changed us all, one thing that hasn’t changed is the debt we owe to the fallen soldiers.
“They bravely sacrificed themselves for what they believed,” she said. “The lives of these families go on, but they are forever changed.”
Titcomb recalled meeting Ray Harris, father of Capt. Jennifer Harris, who died in Iraq in 2007.
“He had her picture in his wallet,” Titcomb said. “I will never forget the love he had for her, and how much he still grieves for her.”
Also on hand were state Sen. Brendan Crighton and Rich Jakious, an aide to Congressman Seth Moulton.
Retired Brig. Gen. Michael Finer of the Army National Guard was the keynote speaker. He urged those attending to move closer to the gravestones so they could get a better look at them.
“After the Civil War, the Grand Army of the Republic established that May 30 would be Decoration Day, where loved ones could put flowers on the graves of the soldiers,” he said. “Almost 100 years later, president John F. Kennedy said that our greatest tribute to our fallen soldiers was not just to say the words, but to live by them.”
He then asked for a moment of silence for all the fallen soldiers.
“We have to acknowledge the sacrifices people have made so we can be here to celebrate our freedom,” remarked Town Administrator Sean Fitzgerald.
In Saugus, a wreath was laid at Riverside Cemetery in honor of the town’s fallen soldiers. Retired Sgt. Major Kenneth Oswald, who for many years served as the director of Lynn English High School’s Junior ROTC program, was the principal speaker. An estimated 75 people attended.
Lynnfield also hosted a virtual ceremony led by Director of Veterans Services Bruce Siegel. Siegel said that while most women and men in service are able to come home at the end of deployment, many don’t have that same opportunity.
Siegel honored Pvt. First Class David B. Todd and First Lt. Charles N. Todd, both killed in World War II, and First Lt. Charles N. Todd who was killed in action in Germany in 1945.
“Take a moment to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our nation,” Siegel said.
The Lynnfield Girl Scout Troop #82559 led the ceremony in the Pledge of Allegiance before the Lynnfield High School band played the National Anthem. Lynnfield Middle School student Mickey Sweeney then read the Gettysburg Address, followed by Sen. Brendan Crighton and Rep. Brad Jones’ remarks on the sacrifice and honor of veterans.
Crighton also attended a ceremony in Nahant on Monday afternoon. The American Legion Post 215 hosted a ceremony at the cemetery, followed by a flag raising in front of the Nahant Life Saving Station (formerly the U.S. Coast Guard Station) and a ceremony honoring Marine veteran and longtime selectman Sgt. Richard “Richie” Lombard.
The meeting room in the Life Saving Station was dedicated in Lombard’s name during a ceremony on Monday afternoon where Congressman Seth Moulton, Sen. Brendan Crighton and Rep. Peter Capano awarded Lombard with official citations for his service.
Moulton credited Lombard for his service, saying he has “done extraordinary things for all of us overseas.
“You were a hero in war and then came home and were really a model citizen soldier,” Moulton said.
Lombard served as a selectman in Nahant for about 40 years and said that he just “loves to help people.”
Moulton also made an appearance in his hometown of Marblehead where he joined veterans and members of the Glovers Marblehead Regiment — a group of historians who serve as custodians of Marblehead’s role in the Revolutionary War — as they marched from the Old Town House to Memorial Park.
A service was held at Memorial Park where highly-decorated Marine veteran and former selectman Harry Christiensen spoke about the importance of remembering those who had lost their lives fighting for their country.
In Peabody, 7,500 flags were placed on the graves of fallen soldiers throughout the city in advance of Monday’s observance. Also, Mayor Edward A. Bettencourt Jr. presented a certificate of appreciation to Camden Sotomayer, a Peabody Middle School student who did an extensive project on World War II survivors earlier this year.
Two other World War II veterans were honored for their service: Private Francis Murphy, who was killed in Italy; and Private Phillip McManus, killed in the battle of Iwo Jima.
