Massachusetts communities honor the fallen on Memorial Day
WALTHAM - Across Massachusetts, communities are holding events and parades to honor fallen servicemembers on Memorial Day.
In Marlboro, crowds gathered for a parade. Along the route, the parade stopped at monuments honoring veterans dating back to the Civil war. "Taps" was played at each stop and a gun salute was done.
More than 100 people, many of them veterans, filled the park next to Waltham City Hall for their annual Memorial Day service.
"This is all about honoring those that have sacrificed for our country and our freedoms," said William Patterson, the former commander of Chapter 45 for Disabled Americans Veterans. "They weren't cheap, they cost lives."
At the Waltham service, the names of fallen servicemembers from Waltham were read. The ceremony was organized by the Veterans' Services Department to give veterans a space to come together to remember their fallen brothers and sisters but also for those who haven't served to understand the gravity of the day.
"We still have veterans coming in here from World War II, Korea. I'm a Vietnam veteran myself," said Patterson. "We have some of the younger veterans of the Iraq War. From all wars. It's just a solemn day."
