MATTAPOISETT — The Center School gymnasium was bustling on Monday May 29, as residents, veterans, and town and state officials gathered to pay tribute to those who died while enlisted in the United States Armed Forces.

The ceremony opened with the posting of colors by members of the New Bedford High School Junior ROTC and a prayer from United States military Chaplain Richard Langhoff

For Mattapoisett Select Board Chair Jodi Bauer, Memorial Day is a time to remember family who served in the military as well as everyone who left Mattapoisett and never returned.

“I take the time to remember my great uncles, my dad, my father in law,” said Bauer. “I always think — and it brings tears to my eyes — they were all young men traveling to an unknown land not at all like Mattapoisett. Did they feel fear? Or wonder, ‘what’s going to happen to me next?’”

“Some came back to Mattapoisett … and lived long lives,” she continued. “But today is the day to remember those who didn’t return to us — and of course thank the brave men and women who have and continue to serve our country.”

This year’s Memorial Day ceremony was especially poignant because Mattapoisett’s Florence Eastman American Legion Post 280 lost three long-loved and much-loved members: George Randall, Howard Tinkham and Michael Lamoureux.

According to Bauer, Randall was known for his patriotic spirit and his penchant for reciting the Gettysburg Address whenever he was called upon to do so.

At Monday’s event, the Gettysburg Address was recited by Old Rochester Regional High School student Andrew Porter, who had “big shoes to fill,” said Master of Ceremonies Rachel Perron.

Guest speaker Commander Colby Rottler said that Memorial Day holds a “great significance,” and to truly honor the lives of fallen veterans it is important to “share their stories with others and ensure their memories live on.”

“At the core of our military lies unique themes: the selfless desire to serve and a willingness to sacrifice to defend our nation and people,” he said, before briefly telling the stories of veterans he “knew and revered.”

At the end of the indoor ceremony, the event moved outside and the Junior ROTC led a procession down Barstow Street to lay wreaths outside of the Mattapoisett Public Library at memorials honoring those who died in the Civil War, World War I and World War II.

The procession ended at the Town Wharf.

With a prayer, Langhoff placed a wreath into the water of Mattapoisett Harbor to honor those who died at sea.

“Grant us the grace to remember, with love and reverence, our valiant and honored comrades who rest beneath the storm-tossed seas,” said Langhoff.