By Scott MacKeen
Staff Writer
5/28/09
The notes from the Milton High School band
rang through the streets. The hymns were of memory and gratitude.
As always, Memorial Day was a day to stop and give thanks, to cherish the freedoms we have been given by those who served and died in battle.
The town took the time Monday to remember those who have fallen and whose sacrifices continue to live on.
Simply put, it was a day to “pause and remember,” according to Maj. Gen. Stanley Genega, the day’s featured speaker. Genega, who served two tours in Vietnam, said the town should never forget its men and women in uniform whose “duty, sacrifice and bravery are legendary.”
“Never forget: They made possible our tomorrows,” he said.
The parade began on the Town Green, with a ceremonial raising of the flag by Milton American Legion Post members. The band led the way to Milton Cemetery with songs of remembrance. Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts proudly held their banners. Lucky youngsters got to ride on an old-fashioned fire truck. The sun offered its blessing with the warmth of spring. It was a perfect day.
Those who looked on made sure to thank the veterans who passed. It was their day, after all.
“Today has been set aside for those who took arms,” said John Shields, chairman of the Board of Selectmen. “Some came home and some did not. The way we can honor them is by being good citizens. You owe them your very best.”
Rabbi Alfred Benjamin, leader of the Milton Interfaith Clergy Association, had many words to describe the day. Sadness, respect, pride, appreciation and hope were among those he used to describe his feelings.
He offered a prayer to those who fought and died for freedom, saying, “Each one had a name, each had a story.
“Each will serve as ongoing inspiration for us. We are in their debt not just today but every day,” added Benjamin.
State Rep. Walter Timilty said he considers Memorial Day “the most special day on our nation’s calendar.”
Former state Rep. M. Joseph Manning, a Marine during World War II, said more than ever the holiday should hold special meaning for Americans.
“With two wars going on, we have no excuse not to remember them,” he said.
Manning said Americans serving in Iraq and Afghanistan are fighting “ in the memory of future generations.”
The Rev. Aidan Walsh directed his prayer toward the protection of those serving overseas and to “bring them home safely to their families soon.”
The Milton High School Chorus also led themes of military honor and tradition. Milton High senior Catherine Spino quoted Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, including those famous words “that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain – that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom – and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”
Those who attended this year’s event must have taken those words to heart. Hundreds of tiny American flags, in the youngest of hands and the oldest, told the story better than words. They were there to remember.