The Memorial Day Parade returned to Marshfield, including a trolley for veterans, the Huey float, honor guards, and the Marshfield High School band.
Following the parade, hundreds of people lined the Veterans Memorial Park, where the names of fallen Marshfield residents from World War II, on, were read aloud.
Marshfield Veterans Agent Carin Paulette was deployed to Kuwait as part of Iraqi Freedom from 2005 to 2006 and served two decades in the Army National Guard.
“This kind of holiday is tough, because there is a lot of celebration, and yet, the reason behind it is very solemn,” said Paulette. “I like to think of it – we celebrate their life, we need to make sure that we remember and pay our respects to them and their service. It’s okay to enjoy the day, as long as it’s balanced with that purpose.”
Peter Dowd was the caretaker of the park for 20 years, before retiring last year. He’s a Vietnam veteran from 1966-67, serving in the Navy Seabees.
“Veterans Day, like I say, is for the living guys, to give thanks to them. Today is a big thing for me, because I think about – I lost five guys that I knew in Vietnam that were from my hometown,” said Dowd. “Not just them, but all the people that we’ve lost. What would we have today? We wouldn’t be able to have something like this in some of the other countries. Here in the United States, we have the right to have a ceremony like this. To celebrate, to memorialize these guys, and not forget them. They died for our country, and died so we can have what we have today.”
Select Board Chair Steve Darcy spoke about his hero growing up — his uncle, a Vietnam veteran who was awarded the Purple Heart and Bronze Star.
“But there are many families that are less fortunate than mine. There are countless families that have experienced happiness, interrupted. Families with a hole in their heart, where that place should have been taken with a partner, a parent, or a child,” said Darcy. “I think one of the best ways that we can honor their sacrifice is by doing the following – first, we can honor the memory of the dead, by how we treat the living. Second, we have an opportunity every single day, not with our words, but through our actions to fulfil the promise of this country that they died to uphold.”
State Representative Patrick Kearney is a Lieutenant in the Navy. He says people should take today, and reflect how lucky we all are.
“Today is really a day to reflect on the service of those we’ve lost, and have given the ultimate sacrifice for the country,” said Kearney. “We have a lot going on nationally and internationally, there’s a war going on in Europe at the moment. It’s really important to think about the service and sacrifice of all those that we’ve lost, so that we can appreciate and benefit from freedom, democracy, and the daily liberties that we enjoy.”
The ceremony concluded with a 21-gun salute, taps, and a rendition of “God Bless America” with Marshfield students.
