‘In our hearts and minds forever’: City honors fallen service members in Memorial Day ceremony

GREENFIELD — Acknowledging that across the country people will soon celebrate the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States, U.S Army Brig. Gen. John Driscoll told the more than 100 people in attendance at Veterans Mall that the message on Memorial Day was gratitude.

“To all of you being here today, and remembering those names chiseled and emblazoned on the monuments all around us, whether you knew them or not, their names are in our hearts and minds forever,” Driscoll said, thanking those in attendance. “The tradition of paying respect to the dead goes way back… Just like almost 250 years ago when we celebrated that shot heard ’round the world, we didn’t fight for king or country, but we fought for liberty and ideal, which is America.”

“For those in the audience who are here who have not served, thank you for taking the time to be here,” Driscoll continued. “This weekend, many outside of New England have gone to the barbecues and beaches and all that, but you chose to come here. You really, truly represent the best in America. You embody the words of our grateful nation.”

Before arriving at Veterans Mall, the procession of Greenfield Police Color Guard, veterans, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Cub Scouts, and Brownie Scouts made their way from Greenfield Middle School to Veterans Mall, stopping along the way to honor the fallen. Henry Anhalt, a student at Greenfield High School played taps as the parade stopped at different memorials.

The parade’s first stop was at the Federal Street Cemetery where veterans laid a wreath in the memory of those killed in the Revolutionary War. There, taps was played, a military bugle call played to signal “lights out.”

Other stops along the route included outside of the newly-refurbished Leavitt-Hovey House, where another wreath was laid at the foot of a statue honoring veterans who died in service during the Spanish-American War. The last stop before Veterans Mall was at the Greenfield Common, where taps was played in honor of veterans who died fighting in the Civil War.

Erin Anhalt, chief of staff for Mayor Ginny Desorgher, spoke of her marriage to a U.S. Navy member during the ceremony at Veterans Mall. During her speech, she said that those, like her, who have been part of a military family, know that the experience shapes one for the remainder of their life.

“You learn about the geography of goodbyes, you learn what a deployment does to marriage, to a child and to a parent waiting by a phone,” Anhalt said. “You make friends in base housing with everyone there, and they all become your own family. Then you watch some of those families receive the knock on the door that everyone fears. Once you’ve been part of that community, the loss of any service member, anywhere, any branch at any age, hits close. They all feel like ours.”

At Veterans Mall, a wreath was laid at a memorial that had the names of those who had served and died in the Vietnam War. Presenting the wreath was Bill Phelps, a veteran who had served in Vietnam. After laying the wreath, Phelps went into a salute while a firing salute honored all veterans who had died in service. Then, a final playing of taps was performed, as veterans and residents alike paid their respects.

“Memorial Day for each of us is personal, as we remember loved ones, all who have served and are no longer with us,” Driscoll said. “Even in the most sorrowful or painful of times, God allows us to grow in wisdom and experience as we think of all who served to secure our blessings of liberty, here and abroad. In our hearts and minds, those remembered on Memorial Day will continue to be forever young. From World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan and unfortunately, to the conflict today.”

Across Greenfield, thousands of flags adorned the graves of service men and women who have died. During her remarks, Anhalt spoke about how the service for these men and women didn’t end when they returned home from conflict, and that there are invisible struggles that veterans face every day.

“We cannot forget those who lose their lives to war injuries that are unseen after they return home as well,” Anhalt said. “The battle follows them into their kitchens at three in the morning and sits with them at dinner tables. It challenges them while they’re going on bike rides with their family. We have lost more service members and veterans to PTSD every single year since 1972 than were lost in all combat and training accidents. These are Memorial Day names as well. They served, they came home wounded in ways that no one could see, and we owe them every bit as much remembrance and every bit as much help as those who fall on the battlefield.”

“On Memorial Day, let us speak their names, honor their sacrifices and never forget why we enjoy the freedoms we have,” Driscoll said.