Mattapoisett honors all who've answered the call
Boy Scouts from Rochester’s Troop 31 performed the Posting of the Colors. Photos by Tanvi Kulkarni
Showstoppers sang patriotic songs.
Select Board Member Nicole Doyon Lynch and state Rep. Mark Sylvia attended.
Old Hammondtown Band performed a rendition of "My Country, 'Tis of Thee."
Boy Scouts from Rochester’s Troop 31 performed the Posting of the Colors. Photos by Tanvi Kulkarni
Showstoppers sang patriotic songs.
Select Board Member Nicole Doyon Lynch and state Rep. Mark Sylvia attended.
Old Hammondtown Band performed a rendition of "My Country, 'Tis of Thee."
MATTAPOISETT — Like many towns along the East Coast, Mattapoisett tolled its bells on Nov. 11 to honor the town’s veteran heroes.
Families, children and veterans gathered at Center School to hear speeches, musical performances and recognition for American soldiers during the Tri-Town Veteran's Office’s annual Veterans Day ceremony.
Several former soldiers in the audience stood to be recognized during the ceremony, wearing regalia identifying their military branch or the war they served in.
Boy Scouts from Rochester’s Troop 31 performed the Posting of the Colors, followed by local choir Showstoppers performing the national anthem and a sung rendition of the Pledge of Allegiance. Chaplin Michael Frady from the Mattapoisett Congregational Church led a prayer.
“We give thanks to the men and women who have worn the uniform of our nation, those who stood watching distant places, those who carry burdens most of us will never see and those whose service continues long after their military duty ends,” he said. “Their courage, sacrifice and devotion to one another reflect the highest ideals of our nation.”
Select Board member Nicole Doyon Lynch recognized her 90-year-old father in attendance, who served in the U.S. Army, as well as her grandfather who was awarded a Purple Heart and her father-in-law who served in the Marines.
She said their service shaped her understanding of what it means to serve something greater than the self.
“Most of us will never be asked to make that kind of sacrifice, but every one of us has a responsibility to remember those who are and were willing to,” she said. “The freedoms we enjoy today were defended by generations of ordinary citizens who answered an extraordinary call.”
State Rep. Mark Sylvia spoke to fellow Gen X members about the impact of service in their lives.
“Many of our grandparents served in World War II in Korea. Our parents, uncles and neighbors served in Vietnam. Our classmates and friends served in Desert Storm in enduring freedom,” he said. “Generation X are who we are, in large part, because of the veterans that guided us, taught us, cheered us on and raised us.”
In between spoken remarks, the Showstoppers and Old Hammondtown Band played patriotic tunes. The band performed “My Country, ‘Tis of Thee,” and Showstoppers sang a medley of songs including “America the Beautiful” and “Amazing Grace.”
