LYNN — The city’s Veterans Services Department invites all veterans and community members to honor all the men and women who died serving in the United States Armed Forces at Monday afternoon’s Memorial Day procession and ceremony.
“The purpose of this day is to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice. We encourage people to come down and honor the fallen and help their families carry their legacies forward,” said Veterans Services Director Michael Sweeney.
The procession will form at 1 p.m. at the Manning Field parking lot. At 1:30 p.m., it will depart and march to the sunken garden at Pine Grove Cemetery for a Memorial Day ceremony at 2 p.m.
This year’s ceremony will feature Massachusetts Army National Guard Lt. Col. Tonya Costa, who served in the Iraq War, as a guest speaker. There will also be performances from the Lynn English High School Marine Corps Junior ROTC, the Lynn All-City Band, and singer Gayle Bastarache.
Sweeney said Monday’s procession and ceremony will finalize a week of work from volunteers and the members of the Veterans Council to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice for their nation.
On Thursday, the council worked with community volunteers, including the Boy Scouts, to plant approximately 400 American flags around the sunken garden, honoring fallen service members from Lynn with the Field of Flags event.
“It’s great to see so many younger veterans taking part,” Sweeney said. “The Lynn Veterans Council has really been reinvigorated and has taken a key role, whether it’s decorating the graves or taking part in the ceremony.”
Sweeney added that there are still flags left at the Department of Veterans Services in City Hall for those who would like to decorate military graves in private lots or cemeteries other than Pine Grove.
“It’s important to thank veterans for their service. It’s even more important to remember and honor those who did not come home,” Sweeney said.
