Marblehead celebrated its past and present veterans with music, stories and expressions of gratitude.
On Nov. 11, people packed Abbot Hall for the town’s annual Veterans Day program directed by Veterans Services Officer Ro Trionfi-Mazzuchelli. Local Boy Scouts led the crowd in the Pledge of Allegiance.
The Marblehead High School chorus sang several songs, including the national anthem and a rousing rendition of “Marblehead Forever.”
Army veteran Tom Mathers, who lives in Marblehead, was the key speaker. His second granddaughter was born last week, and he mused about what he will say when she asks him someday: “What does it mean to be a veteran?”
“We peel back what’s unnecessary, and we just get down to business and focus on the mission at hand,” Mathers said. “We’ll do it in the dirt, we’ll do it in the swamp. We’ll do it in the cold. We don’t seek the limelight. We just want to get stuff done. And I love my country, and I do whatever it takes for her and our way of life.”
Dave Rodgers, the town’s former veterans services officer, presented a Medal of Fidelity to the family of Harry C. Christensen, who passed away this year. Christensen was active in town government and in supporting veterans.
Veterans Town Hall
The night before, veterans shared stories at Congressman Seth Moulton’s Veterans Town Hall at Abbot Hall. The program featured five vets — from the Navy, Air Force and Marines — speaking about their service around the world.
Air Force vet Truc DeCoste talked about being deployed in Afghanistan and flying more than 150 sorties. She came to America from Vietnam as a little girl. DeCoste’s father was the son of a U.S. soldier serving in the Vietnam War and he was able to immigrate to the U.S. with his family in 1990.
After completing active duty, DeCoste now serves as a veterans’ advocate.
“Next to raising my children, it has been my greatest joy and privilege to serve those who have already served and those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom,” DeCoste said.
Alicia Reddin, a Navy veteran who served 2004-2008 in the South Pacific, also spoke about the importance of supporting other vets.
“Each person’s path to service is deeply personal,” Reddin said. “Each got there one way or another, but one of the greatest privileges of serving is witnessing firsthand the incredible diversity that defines it, a true mosaic of people from different backgrounds, beliefs, experiences. We come from every corner of this nation and nations worldwide. Many have left their own homelands to serve America’s armed forces. Can you imagine loving a country so much that even though you weren’t born there, you feel a call to serve her? That kind of devotion is extraordinary, and it embodies the best of who we are as a nation, and in a time when it feels like the world is absolutely intent on dividing us, I remind everyone to stand hard together.”
After the formal presentation,Moulton invited local vets to come forward and speak. Several did.
Reggie Brown said his family has a proud military history dating back to the Revolutionary War. He said he was thankful for the opportunity to share … and added that his mother once told him his family believed in service because it offered “the promise of a new day.”
A woman, who served in the Air Force, encouraged people to reach out to veterans.
“Many of us, and many of you that are veterans, have scars and disabilities that you don’t see, that can be physical … or they could be mental. And so I want to encourage those of you who aren’t veterans to be compassionate of those of us around you, and understand that the service comes at a cost, not just to the veterans themselves, but also to their families.”
