Paying tribute to those who serve, sacrifice

Smith, who served in the Korean War and during operations in North Africa, works to promote awareness and recognition of veterans around Boston. Yesterday, Smith, 74, was the master of ceremonies at Memorial Day rites at a Mattapan cemetery, where he commanded the podium wearing full American Legion regalia in humid 80-degree temperatures.

The heat didn't seem to faze him, given his belief in the veterans gathered around him.

"We served for the United States," he said, "because we believed in the United States."

About 30 members of various local American Legion units - all military veterans - and others gathered at Mount Hope Cemetery to remember fallen soldiers from wars past, and to honor those serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. The ceremony included a somber presentation of colors and the laying of a commemorative wreath, as well as a lowering of flags.

"One of the finest tributes that can be paid to anyone is to be remembered after they have passed away," said Thomas Materazzo, a World War II veteran and former commissioner of veterans services for Boston. "Veterans, in my opinion, do that better than most because of the unique experiences they have shared with those who have served our beloved country, especially in times of crisis."

In between live marching band renditions of the national anthem and a number of military songs, Mayor Thomas M. Menino urged participants to recognize the holiday's true purpose.

"Memorial Day is about more than just barbecues and long weekends and opening our summer homes," he said. "It's about honoring the soldiers who left the comfort of their own homes to defend the nation we love and the freedoms we cherish."

Menino also hailed the six Bostonians who died recently in military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.

As the ceremony ended, participants and family members fanned out across the cemetery, which holds more than 12,000 veterans, to visit the graves of friends and relatives. The cemetery offers free burial spots for Boston-area veterans and their immediate family.

Memorial Day "is important to all of us," said John McCormack, 59, of Dorchester, who visited the grave of his brother-in-law, Thomas Byrnes, along with his wife, Dorothy, and her sister, Peggy Byrnes. "But it shouldn't take just Memorial Day to remember the sacrifices. Stop and look around - there are other countries in the world that don't have freedom at all."

McCormack, whose father served in World War II and the Korean War, also planned to visit the grave of his brother, a Vietnam veteran, at the Massachusetts National Cemetery in Bourne, where a separate Memorial Day ceremony was sponsored by the Joint Veterans Committee.

"This," McCormack said as he motioned to the military headstones, "is where we get our freedom from."