Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address figured prominently in Monday’s Memorial Day ceremony in Mattapoisett. The afternoon observance was filled with speakers who underscored the devotion and sacrifice of the nation’s fallen service members. After the traditional posting of the colors by the New Bedford High School Junior ROTC, Master of Ceremonies Commander Michael Lamoureux welcomed the audience to the Center School gymnasium, noting the “wild and woolly morning” that drove the annual program indoors.
Chaplain Richard Langhoff led the assembled in prayer, remarking “In this poignant hour, join me in prayer,” saying that on this day we remember those values of our country and its service members “…characterized by justice and courage,” and that in a “changing world that continues to challenge these time-honored values,” we take this opportunity to refresh ourselves in these eternal values.
William Stark, a student at ORRJHS, read Governor Charlie Baker’s Memorial Day Proclamation. He was followed by State Representative William Straus, who observed first that the Old Hammondtown School Concert Band’s expert rendition of “America the Beautiful,” led by Emily Lafleur, “raises the bar every year!”
Straus was thankful to be a part of Mattapoisett’s ceremony every year, noting that this centennial program highlighted the Gettysburg Address, which was first read by Jeremiah Randall in 1917 and was being recited 100 years later by his son, George.
Straus then gave some context to the Gettysburg Address, describing the three-day battle of 100,000 troops, culminating in over 50,000 casualties, and then Straus added “…many people may not have known at the time but this was a turning point in our nation’s history.” He described a trip to the Gettysburg Battlefield he took in January, in which, while looking at the empty battlefield and thinking of the thousands of troops who fought and died there, he reflected “You find yourself alone with your thoughts and try to understand the choice to sacrifice for something bigger.”
Memorial Day, Straus noted, “…reminds us of why people do something just for an idea, for something bigger than themselves.”
Selectman Paul Silva echoed Straus in his address to the crowd, first thanking the OHS Band, saying “They are the future, not only of our town, but of our country.” He then described the nation’s service members, from all walks of life who embody the shared values of “…courage, pride, determination, dedication to duty and integrity – all the values needed to answer a call to duty bigger than themselves.”
Silva described the beginning of Memorial Day celebrations after the end of the Civil War as “One small spot of a flame of pride that spread across the country…” as a tribute to lost troops and their families over time.
Veterans Agent Barry Denham, in his brief remarks, lauded the New Bedford High School Junior ROTC battalion as “model kids” and thanked them for their attendance. He noted that the program on this day was almost exactly the same as the one from 100 years ago, adding “Let’s hope it continues for one hundred years to come.”
In what would prove to be an emotionally charged last portion of the Memorial Day ceremony, the audience was next introduced to town resident George Randall. At the Memorial Day Ceremony of 1917 in front of Mattapoisett Town Hall, Randall’s father, Jeremiah, at the age of 15, recited the Gettysburg Address. After introducing his brother, Leonard, and sister, Eunice, in the front row and asking for a moment of silence to honor service members both living and dead, Randall proceeded with the beautifully rendered Address to an audience in which many were moved to tears. Randall received an enthusiastic standing ovation. One audience member remarked afterward that “Hearing the Address is so different than reading it!”
The principal speaker for the day was Commander Bryan D. Williams of the U.S. Navy and the Newport Naval War College. In his introduction of Williams, Lamoureux commended and thanked military families, asking Williams’ family to stand and be recognized. He noted, “A military family survives because of what Mom does when Dad is not around. Thank you for your service.”
Williams spoke eloquently to the assembled, first clarifying that Memorial Day is not Veterans Day. Memorial Day is a day to honor fallen service members, he said, and it began as Decoration Day on which people cleaned up the graveyards. Williams solemnly enumerated the over one million service members the country has lost in all of the armed conflicts since the Civil War.
In an emotional moment, Williams described to the audience two soldiers who were killed on April 27, 2017. Army Ranger Sergeant Cameron H. Thomas, who was 23 years old, was killed during a raid on ISIS in Afghanistan. Thomas, who became a Ranger at 19, had 11 brothers and sisters, spoke Farsi and loved skateboarding. Army Ranger Sergeant Joshua P. Rodgers, who was 22 years old, was on his third deployment to Afghanistan when he was killed. Rodgers was remembered as a humble and determined young man.
Williams wondered aloud how we should feel on this day, saying that it is a solemn day, a day of sorrow and loss, but also we should feel “…a sense of inspiration and gratitude.” Williams observed that within a service member “…there is a rich vein of patriotism and strong desire to serve and protect…” but there is also an acceptance of risk as well. Williams concluded by asking how best we can honor their service and sacrifice. He answered by paraphrasing the Gettysburg Address, suggesting that we must all have “…an increased devotion to the cause for which they sacrificed….”
Williams encouraged the audience to support and defend the Constitution and to exercise the freedoms and responsibilities within it – specifically as described in the First Bill of Rights – “…the right to practice religion; the right to free speech; the right to hear the free press; and to peacefully assemble and petition the government….” Perhaps most importantly, he added, is the right to vote, and “…we are blessed in this country [with these rights] due to their sacrifice, and must pledge to exercise the rights they defended.” The audience gave Williams a resounding standing ovation.
The ceremony concluded with the OHS Band playing the “Star-Spangled Banner” and the solemn retiring of the colors.
By Sarah French Storer
