Tewksbury remembers. Tewksbury honors. Tewksbury never forgets.
Much to the delight of everyone involved, the sun shone bright yesterday on Tewksbury’s Memorial Day ceremonies.
Residents gathered at the Tewksbury Cemetery on East St to honor the brave men and women of our community who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country.
Master of Ceremonies, Richard Frank called upon the Tewksbury Police and Fire Honor Guard to present the colors and the Eagle Scouts, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts to lead the Pledge of Allegiance. The High School Chorus and the Swinging Seniors followed with the National Anthem. There was an opening prayer by Reverend Baxter Chisom and then greetings from the town by Mark Kratman, Chair of the Select Board.
Retired United States Air Force Veteran, Staff Sgt Ryan Lloyd was the guest speaker for this event. His words of remembrance and sacrifice rang out across the many flags adorning the grave sites in Tewksbury this morning. “For those of us who served, this is the day we set aside to honor and pay tribute to our brothers and sisters we stood next to in battle,” said Ryan. He finished with, “Let us carry forward the legacy of those who are no longer here and commit to building a nation of strong, resilient communities that does not forget its past.”
The V.F.W. and American Legion members then placed flowers honoring their fallen comrades with a salute. Tewksbury honored those from the Revolutionary War to the Afghanistan War. Richard Frank went on to read the Tewksbury Service members who had passed over the last year. The 21 Gun Salute was given by the V.F.W. Honor Guard, as was the lowering of the Flag to half-staff. Taps was beautifully performed by Debbie Lisiecki.
The Swinging Seniors and the Tewksbury Memorial High School chorus closed the ceremonies with their rendition of “God Bless America”.
Tewksbury remembers. Tewksbury honors. Tewksbury never forgets.
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