LYNN — Gold Star Families are gathering at Lynn Heritage State Park at 1 p.m. Saturday for a ceremony dedicating the newly-designated footbridge that crosses over Route 1A as a “Massachusetts Gold Star Families Bridge.”
Designated by the legislature as the state’s official Gold Star Families Bridge, this will mark one of the first in the nation, honoring those who died in military service or as a result of military service.
“Our loved ones are no longer physically with us,” said Gold Star mother Doris Syrakos of Lynn. “Often all we have is a folded flag, medals, photographs and memories. This bridge will perpetuate the memory of our loved ones.”
Local officials worked closely with state Rep. Pete Capano to have the bridge named.
“Gold Star Families have paid a price for our Nation’s freedom that can never be repaid,” said Mike Sweeney, director of Lynn-Swampscott Veterans’ Service. “The bridge will be a beacon for future generations to honor and remember the sacrifices made since WWII by the more than 33,000 Gold Star Families across the Commonwealth.”
The Gold Star Families Bridge Committee and Military Friends Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to caring for military and Gold Star Families across the Commonwealth, partnered to host the groundbreaking.
The public is invited to attend the groundbreaking ceremony.
Afterward, the bridge — which is under the jurisdiction of the state’s Department of Conservation and Recreation — will undergo various repairs and a plaque will be designed with the Committee.
Allysha Dunnigan can be reached at [email protected].
