Norwood Remembers Fallen Veterans With Parade, Cemetery Ceremony

NORWOOD, MA - The sky was glorious Monday morning as Norwood paid tribute to its veterans with a Memorial Day parade and a remembrance ceremony at Highland Cemetery.

Dozens of people lined Washington Street in Norwood Center dressed in patriotic outfits and waving American flags to cheer on the marchers.

But it was also a day for reflection. Veterans sat at the Town Common, recounting stories of their military service and remembering fallen friends.

The day began with a Mass at 8 a.m. at St. Catherine of Siena Church. An hour later, the flag at Town Hall was lowered to half staff as the church bells tolled. Groups of marchers gathered at the Old Parish Cemetery before the parade kicked off at 10 a.m.

Although the parade was relatively brief, it allowed residents the chance to reconnect with friends in a festive atmosphere. Norwood Police Chief William Brooks led the procession of marchers, which included Board of Selectmen members and the police and fire honor guards. Also participating were Norwood veterans, the Norwood High School marching band, the Colonial Boys Fife and Drum Band, the Colonial Pipers Bagpipe Band, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Cub Scouts, and Brownies.

The culmination of the weeklong series of events honoring veterans was a ceremony at Highland Cemetery, where officials paid tribute to those who served their country.

Veterans' Service Coordinator Ted Mulvehill started the tribute, calling Memorial Day "a day of prayer, of remembrance, of recognition, of music and of respect."

The Norwood High School band played the national anthem before the invocation. Norwood High School graduating senior Ashley Gonzales continued the tradition of reading Gettysburg Address by President Abraham Lincoln.

"Today we gather to pay homage to those who throughout the history of this nation gave the ultimate sacrifice to preserve our freedom," said Board of Selectman Chair William Plasko. "Those who laid down their lives to protect their family, their neighbors, and strangers alike."

He pointed out the graves surrounding him, noting the hefty cost paid for freedom with their sacrifice.

"We must not take for granted the freedoms they died for," he stressed. "Rather, in their memory, we must commit ourselves to preserve it."

He paralleled America's quest for freedom with that of Ukraine, which has been under attack by Russia because of its pursuit for democracy.

"Soldiers and citizens alike are dying daily to preserve that freedom," he reminded the crowd.

Selectman Helen Abdallah Donohue said she wanted to speak today in honor of the 150th anniversary of Norwood's incorporation as a town, noting she is just over half the age of the town at 76. She pointed out the sections of the cemetery where residents of various ethnicities of Norwood have been buried.

"But who are we?" she asked. "We are the town of Norwood, and we have been supporting our country for all these years ... This is so important that I want to thank you for the great job you've done for all these years."

She pointed out that the families of those who died in war are now recognized as Gold Star Families, noting that the impact of their passing affects the entire family. She said that Norwood represented "generations of kindness, generations of loyalty, generations of patriotism."

State resolutions were presented to Norwood's Colonial Boys in celebration of their 70th anniversary. The fife and drum corps played the "Battle Hymn of the Republic" to honor the day.

Norwood firefighter and Master Sergeant Dennis Mawn spoke of the hours of effort by volunteers and scout troops to lay 5,000 flags on the graves and prepare the cemetery for the ceremony. He also thanked Mulvehill for his dedication to Norwood's veterans.

He noted that American troops are no longer stationed in Iraq or Afghanistan and are "not dynamically at war anywhere" nearly 21 years after the 9/11 terrorist attack on the United States.

"Today we honor men and women of violence," Mawn said, noting that the country was founded on the violence of the American Revolution. "Those men and women who died violently, giving their last full measure of devotion."

Chaplain Steven Eosco offered a prayer in remembrance.

"Stir our hearts, Lord, with patriotism and thankfulness as we think about our country's greatest treasures lying beneath our nation's soils and the soils of lands far away," he said.