While each community may celebrate Memorial Day differently, the reason and sentiment is the same: to honor and remember the soldiers who gave their lives for their fellow Americans’ freedom.
LYNN
Lynn’s Memorial Day ceremony was held Monday at Pine Grove Cemetery, but first there was a parade march from Manning Field to get there.
Mike Sweeney, Director of Veterans’ Services, welcomed the crowd before the Lynn Veterans’ Council led the Pledge of Allegiance and the Lynn All City Band played the national anthem. Prayers were shared, and Gayle Bastarache sang “America.”
Many spoke at this ceremony, including Mayor Jared Nicholson, Deputy Secretary of Veterans Services Andrea Gayle-Bennett, Rep. Jenny Armini, Sen. Brendan Crighton and David Solimine of the Lynn Veterans’ Council. Armini referenced Tim O’Brien’s book “The Things They Carried,” where he writes about “the all-encompassing burden of the veteran.”
She said, “‘They carried the sky,’ he wrote. ‘The whole atmosphere, they carried it. The humidity, the monsoons, the stink of fungus and decay, all of it. They carried gravity.’ We are here to honor those who never came home and those who bore the burdens of war throughout their lives. Thank you. Thank you for serving with distinction, living with honor and for holding up the sky.”
There was a presentation by Lynn English High School’s Marine Corps JROTC Drill Team, and Gold Star Mother Doris Syrakos and Wayne Johnson, Iraq veteran and Vice President of the Lynn Veterans’ Council, participated in the wreath ceremony to conclude the event.
LYNNFIELD
The annual Memorial Day parade and celebration in Lynnfield Monday began as participants marched from Our Lady of Assumption Church to the South Burying Ground on Salem Street, and then to the Willow Cemetery on Summer Street. Ceremonies were conducted at each location.
The parade proceeded to the South Lynnfield Fire Station for a brief recess and then reassembled at the Lynnfield Middle School. From there, the parade continued to the West Burying Ground, the Old Burying Ground and the Forest Hill Cemetery, and finally to the Veterans Memorial at the Town Common for an 11 a.m. observance.
MARBLEHEAD
Marblehead had a full weekend of events to celebrate Memorial Day. There was a veterans breakfast Friday at the Council on Aging, sponsored by the Masons, and a grave flagging at the Our Lady, Star of Sea cemetery afterward. There was also a grave flagging at Waterside Cemetery Saturday.
Monday’s Memorial Day festivities kicked off with an 8 a.m. memorial service at Clark’s Landing followed by the Memorial Day parade. The parade began at the Old Town House and paused at Memorial Park for the ceremony led by Veterans Agent Roseann Trionfi-Mazzuchelli, who welcomed the crowd before the Marblehead Cub Scouts led the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance.
Senior Chief Jim Full, U.S. Navy, then performed the invocation prayer before Select Board Chair Erin Noonan read the Memorial Day proclamation, signed by Gov. Maura Healey, and the Marblehead High School band performed The Navy Hymn.
Next up was keynote speaker Moses Grader, Select Board member and Marine Corps veteran. He began by sharing that, “in preparation for this solemn observance, I went up on the hill at Waterside Cemetery yesterday and visited the graves of our veterans.” He noted that he paused at Chris Piper and Harry Christensen’s graves and spoke highly of their heroism.
“It’s a significant act that we have come out today, all of us, to honor and remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our country, and to honor those, like Harry, who acted with faith and utter devotion,” Grader said.
Trionfi-Mazzuchelli read the honor roll, acknowledging those veterans who have passed since last Memorial Day, and that was followed by a 3-volley salute by Glovers Marblehead Regiment.
Attendees all joined in as the Marblehead High School band played the national anthem in an energetic and jovial sing-a-long style. Full then returned to the microphone to close with the benediction prayer.
Following the ceremony, the parade marched on to Waterside Cemetery. For veterans who could not march, they were able to ride in the trolley.
NAHANT
Nahant celebrated Memorial Day Monday with a parade which went from Veterans Memorial Park on Nahant Road through the town until it made it to the Wharf for the ceremonies. The parade then marched to Greenlawn Cemetery, where it paused for ceremonies, and ended at the Nahant Life Saving Station.
PEABODY
What set Peabody apart from other North Shore communities this Memorial Day was its commemoration of being a Purple Heart Community, which is a designation to recognize a municipality for honoring and remembering military personnel, specifically those who have been wounded or killed in combat and who have received the Purple Heart medal. The Purple Heart was established by George Washington on Aug. 7, 1782 and is the oldest American military decoration in present use.
As the Purple Heart wreath was placed at the base of the World War I and World War II monuments, Lt. Commander Robert Dunne, Navy veteran and Peabody Veterans Council commander, said, “This designation confirms a special gratitude the City of Peabody has for all those who were wounded or killed in combat.”
Following its parade Monday afternoon, community members gathered at City Hall for the ceremony. Dunne began by mentioning that “it’s important to remember today that we celebrate and remember the lives and sacrifice for those who passed away, either in the service of our country or after serving our country.”
There were others who spoke at this ceremony, including Director of Veteran Services Steve Patten, who honored Peabody’s Gold Star families and Purple Heart recipients and their families, and Fire Lieutenant and Marine Corps Veteran Anthony Rusciano, who spoke emotionally and candidly about the importance of Memorial Day.
“It’s easy to think of this weekend as the start of summer. It’s a time for barbecues and gatherings – and while there’s nothing wrong with enjoying those moments with our friends and family, we must never forget the true purpose of this day, Memorial Day, a sacred pause to remember those who gave their lives for this nation,” Rusciano said. “There were sons and daughters, parents, friends and neighbors.
“They came from every background and made the ultimate sacrifice so that we may live in freedom. Their lives were cut short, but their legacy lives through us, through how we remember them, how we honor them and how we carry their values forward. Today, I ask each of you to take a moment to reflect on the cost of freedom, say the name of a fallen hero, visit a memorial, tell a story, teach your child that Memorial Day is not just a day off, but a day to honor those who never made it home.”
Peabody’s ceremony also included demonstrations by the color and honor guards in attendance as well as flag raisings.
SAUGUS
Unlike other communities, Saugus held its Memorial Day parade and ceremony on Saturday. Despite the almost constant rain, the town still came out to remember those who died serving their country.
The parade made its way from Anna Parker Playground to Riverside Cemetery with horns blazing, old rifles firing into the air, town officials waving to the crowds and residents waving flags as they watched the parade go by.
Residents were asked, like always, to stand at the grave of a soldier. At each grave sat a flag in a holder, and residents were asked to lift those flags as Veterans Council Commander Steve Castinetti spoke after the invocation.
He told the story of Thomas Jerome Hudner Jr. Lt. Hudner flew in North Korea, and his wingman was the Navy’s first black aviator: Ensign Jesse Brown.
“This was a big step forward. A white lieutenant and a Black ensign flying side-by-side. Chinese forces were closing in on the 1st Marine Division at the time, so the six Corsairs went down to help the Marines, but during the mission, Ensign Brown’s plane was shot down,” Castinetti said.
Despite the danger and the horribly cold weather, Hudner crashed his plane on the rocky terrain to try to rescue his wingman. He called for a helicopter, but Brown was stuck in his plane. Hudner was honored for his heroic bravery, and in 2013, he even returned to North Korea to search for the remains of Ensign Brown.
The keynote speaker was Shelby M. Nikitin, the former Naval commander of the USS Hudner: a ship named in the lieutenant’s honor. She spoke of her time on the ship and her mostly young crew, some in their first deployments.
Before the ceremony ended, Veteran Service Officer Paul Cancellieri gave Medals of Fidelity to two Gold Star Wives.
SWAMPSCOTT
Swampscott’s Memorial Day ceremony Monday was held at Swampscott Cemetery’s Veterans Section. According to Director of Veterans’ Services Mike Sweeney, there was a great turnout of community members to honor Swampscott’s fallen.
There was an opening prayer followed by the Pledge of Allegiance, which was noted as a group effort. VFW Post 1240, VFW Post 1240 Auxiliary, American Legion Post 57, DAV Chapter 64, Girl Scouts, Junior Brownie and Daisy Scouts of Ocean Bay, Swampscott Scouts BSA Troop 53 and Cub Scout Pack 55 all helped lead the Pledge. Scout Myers, Swampscott High School student, then sang the national anthem.
Interim Town Administrator Gino Cresta gave the greetings of the town. Select Board members David Grishman, who spoke, MaryEllen Fletcher and Katie Phelan were also in attendance among other government officials like Rep. Jenny Armini, who also spoke, and Sen. Brendan Crighton.
To close the ceremony, Jaclyn Raymond, Gold Star Mother of Army Specialist Jared Raymond, and Raymond Harris, Gold Star Father of Marine Captain Jennifer Harris, honored their children and Swampscott’s other fallen soldiers with a wreath laying ceremony.
Elizabeth Della Piana contributed to this story.
