TOWN COUNCILOR Julie Smith Galvin makes a presentation to Tom Lyons.(Mark Sardella photo)
By MARK SARDELLA
WAKEFIELD — Local residents turned out to pay tribute to veterans at ceremonies held yesterday in Veterans Memorial Auditorium at the Galvin Middle School.
U.S. Army veteran and Veterans Advisory Board member Paul Cancelliere served as master of ceremonies for for the town’s Veterans Day observance and welcomed those in attendance.
“Every year we gather at the eleventh hour on the eleventh day of the eleventh month to recognize the heroes among us and to remember those who were lost defending our freedoms,” Cancelliere said.
He introduced American Legion Post Commander Tom Collins to lead the Pledge of Allegiance, which was followed by the National Anthem performed by the Wakefield Memorial High School Treble Choir under the direction of Ana Morel.
Cancelliere noted that 2021 marks the 100th anniversary of the internment of the unknown soldier in Arlington Cemetery. He observed that the “Bells of Peace,” the 21 chimes rung to mark the end of World War I, are the nation’s highest honor of remembrance and have become an annual tradition honoring those who died in World War I.
He called upon Lt. Sean Curran to perform the Bells of Peace by ringing the Wakefield Fire Department’s ceremonial bell 21 times.
Cancelliere introduced John Bohling of the American Legion, who recited from memory the iconic World War I poem, “In Flanders Fields.”
Town Council Chair Julie Smith-Galvin offered greetings from the town.
“Thank you to every veteran who has served to preserve our freedom and to every active-duty service member who continues to do so,” Smith-Galvin said.
“I am incredibly proud of Wakefield’s commitment to veterans,” she added, noting that the town’s Veterans Service Office and Veterans Advisory board work hard to ensure that every veteran gets the respect and services that they deserve.
“Today may be Veterans Day,” Smith-Galvin said, “but the freedom these men and women secure for us endures day after day and generation after generation.”
Marion Dennehy, Wakefield Veterans Advisor Board member and New England regional president of the Gold Star Wives of America, read the Commonwealth of Massachusetts 2021 Veterans Day Proclamation, signed by Gov. Charlie Baker.
Under the direction of Thomas Bankert, the Wakefield Memorial High School Wind Ensemble performed “The Armed Forces – the Pride of America,” a medley of the anthems of the United States military branches. As each theme was played, veterans of that military branch stood to the applause of all in attendance.
Next, Cancelliere introduced the day’s keynote speaker, Wakefield resident Thomas J. Lyons, a United States Marine Corps veteran of the Vietnam War. Cancelliere listed just some of Lyons’ extensive resume of service to veterans, his community and his country. That service includes time as the Executive Director of the New England Shelter for Homeless Veterans as well as past Deputy Commissioner for Veterans Services for the City of Boston.
“When people say, ‘Thank you for your service’ to a veteran, the words are always appreciated,” Lyons said. “But those words carry with them a promise. It’s a promise that the ‘thank you’ is not hollow but instead reflects a respect for service, which is backed up by needed programs and services.
He said that far too many veterans still struggle to realize the benefits that they have earned. In the current absence of military conflict, Lyons said, “We now have the opportunity and obligation to ensure that veterans are more than remembered and thanked for their service. Our men and women in uniform deserve more than our gratitude. The deserve the full measure of the opportunities we promised them.”
Cancelliere called upon Town Council chair Julie Smith-Galvin to present to Lyons a copy of, “Twenty-one Steps,” a book about the sentinels who guard the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington Cemetery. Lyons noted that two copies have also been donated to Beebe Library and Lyons’ copy was signed by author Jeff Gottesfeld and illustrator Matt Tavares.
Wakefield Veterans Service Officer David Mangan and members of Scout Troop 701 then placed the Veterans Day Wreath at center stage as WMHS students Caroline Dill and Lilah Hatheway played “Taps.”
The colors were posted and retired at yesterday’s ceremony by Scouts from Wakefield Troop 701.
Father Ron Barker, Pastor of St Joseph Church offered the Invocation and closing prayer.
