By Ellie Brogan
Wayland Post Intern
On Monday, May 26, Wayland held a Memorial Day parade to honor the fallen servicemen and women who served in the military, culminating in a ceremony at the Lakeview Cemetery where speakers shared their stories and honor the dead.
The parade kicked off at Wayland Middle School with members of the Girl Scouts, Boy Scout Troop 1, the Wayland Fire Department, a police escort and even a vintage police cruiser from the Massachusetts State Police Museum and Learning Center.
The parade wound down Main Street to the intersection with Route 30 and turned towards Lakeview Cemetery. The ceremony began with a welcoming announcement from Richard P. Turner, a retired member of the Navy and Purple Heart recipient. An invocation was then given by Father Youhanna Gobran of St. Philopater Mercurius & St. Mina Coptic Orthodox Church of Wayland.
Wayland Select Board Chair Carol Martin spoke of the sacrifice of the veterans honored on Memorial Day and the importance of remembering their actions on a day generally used for celebration and cookouts.
“Today, we honor those who did not return to live the life they love by giving them the reverence they deserve, respect and assurance their commitment will never be forgotten and our collective heartfelt gratitude for allowing us to live the lives we love,” she said.
Senator Jaime Eldridge who spoke of Wayland’s long military history from the Revolutionary War to present, including the 70 infantrymen sent to fight in the Battle of Gettysburg, 12 of whom died in that battle. “Let us also commit ourselves to protecting and striking the rights guaranteed to us in the U.S. Constitution, as these inalienable rights make the sacrifice that America’s brave soldiers made even more sacred,” he said.
The Wayland Middle School Band led by Joe Oneschuk played the national anthem from their perch on the hill surrounded by graves, and Wayland High School senior Sully Nguyen played Woody Guthrie’s “This Land Is Your Land” on a guitar (one of two student performances at the ceremony).
State Rep. David Linsky echoed the theme of reflection and the need to focus on the importance of our Constitutional rights. “We can’t take [our Constitutional] freedoms for granted. Those freedoms derive from our Constitution and from the rule of law. And we have to remember that our Constitution and our rule of law apply to everyone in this country, no matter who you are,” he said. The Gettysburg Address was read by Maereg Million, who will be performing at Carnegie Hall in July.
Keynote speaker Capt. Mark Lenci described his experience as a U.S. Navy veteran who commanded the U.S.S. Houston, a nuclear submarine named after an earlier version of the ship that sank into the Java Sea during the battle of Sunda Strait. He finished with a sobering warning to the younger generations. “Unfortunately … you young people, I’m sorry to tell you, someday, some of you are going to be called to step into this line … I wish we didn’t need it, but we do, and you will be called. Hopefully the ceremony today will remind you you’re not by yourself.”
