WAKEFIELD — Two Memorial Day ceremonies are planned for Monday, the first at 10 in the morning at Moulton Park and the other at 1 p.m. in the Galvin Middle School’s Veterans Memorial Auditorium.
Hosted by the West Side Social Club, the morning ceremony includes the remembrance of those young and men from the West Side neighborhoods who died while serving their country in the armed forces. If the weather does not cooperate, the ceremony will be held in the hall at the West Side Social Club on Harrington Court.
Retired U.S. Army Infantry Officer Paul J. Cancelliere, chair of the town’s Veterans Advisory Board, will be the keynote speaker. Others scheduled to attend include state Rep. Donald Wong, Town Council Chair Jonathan Chines and Town Administrator Stephen P. Maio.
According to a biography supplied to the Item, keynote speaker Paul Cancelliere served honorably in the United States Army as an infantry officer from 1981 till 2004. Following his active-duty service, Paul worked in the corporate
sector as a senior program manager for Perot Systems and Dell Services, engineering
and aligning information technology skilled resources to deliver healthcare services.
Paul worked to create a team of professional project managers, business analysts, and
technical writers at Harvard Pilgrim Health Care.
He is the president of the Paul Revere Chapter and a board member of the Bay State Council affiliated with Military Officer’s Association of America (MOAA). Paul is also a perpetual member of the Greater Boston Chapter of the Military Order of
World Wars (MOWW).
Paul serves as the chair of the Town of Wakefield Veterans Advisory Board. His “advocacy for troops and their families spotlights many non-profit organizations such as Homes for Our Troops, Clear Path for Veterans New England, The New England Center and Home for Veterans, and the Home Base Program. Paul also maintains contact with the Department of Defense State Liaison Office educating state legislators about current issues impacting veterans and their families. Once a week Paul volunteers his time as a docent offering guided tours to the public of the Patton Family Library and Archives currently owned and operated by the Wenham Museum.”
Paul earned his bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) from Hofstra University, Uniondale, NY,
where he began his military career as a member of the All-Volunteer Force. Paul later earned his
master of Business Administration at Northeastern University.
He is a graduate of the Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, KS. Paul graduated high school from La
Salle Military Academy, Oakdale, NY in 1977. Paul is a well decorated paratrooper, completing five overseas assignments in 15 countries on 4 continents.
Paul and his wife, Catherine, raised five children while serving on active duty for 24 consecutive years. Together he and his wife of forty years enjoy being with their four grandchildren and traveling to spend time with their adult children.
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The town-run Memorial Day event will be held at the Galvin Middle School at 1 p.m. During the ceremony, all will remember the fallen and their sacrifice by offering our gratitude. In many ways the fallen and the missing are still serving. They serve to remind us of the tragedies of wars. Sadly, many today take the fallen for granted as we go about our daily lives.
Over the years thousands of residents answered the call to military service. On Memorial Day we take a moment to remember the 161 from Wakefield who did not return home from their service.
The keynote speaker is Andrew Biggio, a former U.S. Marine Corps infantry sergeant, local law enforcement officer, author, and founder of the nonprofit Boston’s Wounded Vet Run. His recent works, “The Rifle” Volumes I and II, document his journey across the country to record the memories of WWII Veterans. Using a 1945 M1 Garand rifle as a point of inspiration, Biggio was able to evoke heartfelt stories from the Veterans they had never shared publicly.
Wakefield is honored to have Congressman Seth Moulton, representing the 6th Congressional District of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, join the Wakefield Memorial Day program. Congressman Moulton joined the Marines in 2001, days after his college graduation and a few months before the attacks on 9/11. Leading a frontline infantry platoon in the first Marine company to enter Baghdad. He later worked to establish a free and independent Iraqi media and served as a liaison to senior Iraqi military and political leaders. While he was an outspoken critic of the Iraq War, he proudly served four tours, sharing the view of many of our servicemembers that he didn’t want anyone to go to war in his place. After returning home from Iraq, Seth used the G.I. Bill to earn joint degrees in business and public administration. Congressman Moulton is a member of the House Armed Services Committee, and the Select Committee on Strategic Competition between the U.S. and China, which was created to shape a diplomatic, economic, and military strategy toward the Chinese Communist Party that preserves American leadership working to avoid future wars.
