Taking time to remember the fallen
Crowds turn out to honor service
As Massachusetts residents marched in parades and stood solemnly during Memorial Day observances yesterday, what struck the deepest chord for Bob Stevens was the crowd that he estimated in the thousands lining the parade route in Cambridge.
Stevens, director of Cambridge Veterans Services, called the throng of veterans and families lining the parade route - which ran from Cambridge Common, through Harvard Square, ending at Cambridge Cemetery - "tremendous, one of the best in years."
"I think there's a growing awareness, particularly because of the war that's going on over in Iraq, of the service of our current men and women who are also giving up their lives in defense of our country," said Stevens, a Vietnam veteran who has been organizing Cambridge's annual parade for 13 years.
Across the state, Massachusetts residents and elected officials took time to remember the lives of the men and women who died serving their country.
Governor Deval Patrick walked in the annual Memorial Day parade in Richmond yesterday morning, then traveled to the Massachusetts State Veterans Cemetery in Agawam, where he spoke about the actions of American soldiers abroad.
"As we gather to honor that sacrifice, we are especially mindful of ongoing conflicts in the world," Patrick said. "To those who serve in the military today, in Iraq, Afghanistan, or elsewhere in the world, may I say on behalf of the people of the Commonwealth, 'Thank you for your service.' "
Patrick also took time to recognize the families of those serving in the armed forces.
"Let us also acknowledge and thank the families and loved ones of our active military who remain behind in the Commonwealth. We applaud your sacrifice and your courage as well."
In Cambridge, a group of Tuskegee Airmen veterans joined marching bands, firefighters, and youth groups in the parade, Stevens said.
Later, marchers, veterans, and elected officials gathered in the Cambridge Cemetery for the city's Memorial Day observation to honor servicemen and women who died in combat. Eric Dinito, a member of the Massachusetts National Guard who recently returned home from Iraq, delivered a keynote address and the participants took time to note the 1943 death of Second Lieutenant Ronald F. Ward, a WWII airman from Cambridge whose remains and plane were found in April 2007 in New Guinea.
After most of the parades and ceremonies across the state had ended, about 100 Marines from First Battalion 25th Marine Regiment gathered at the Fort Devens Army Training base to say goodbye to their families before heading to California for 10 weeks of training before their deployment to Iraq.
Starting at 3 p.m. yesterday, battalion leaders spoke to the Marines and their families about the mission ahead of them, said Staff Sergeant Denny Meadows, who organized the farewell event.
About 100 more Marines from the 25th Battalion took part in similar ceremonies at three other locations across New England, Meadows said.
"A handful" were preparing to return to Iraq, Meadows said.
After showing off their supplies and bidding farewell to their families, the Marines boarded buses and began their trip to Twentynine Palms, a Marine Corps base in California, for 10 weeks of field conditioning and training before their deployment to Iraq. 