[SPEAKER_16]: uh
[SPEAKER_12]: Ladies and gentlemen, can I have your attention please?
[Unidentified]: Can everyone please step behind the yellow line?
[SPEAKER_04]: Can we have the elected officials here, please?
[SPEAKER_16]: Come on, classmate. How you doing?
[Unidentified]: Stand in front of me. Turn around and wave to the camera.
[SPEAKER_07]: Turn around.
[Unidentified]: The camera's over here.
[SPEAKER_04]: I'm Mike Colombo, United States Marine Corps. And on behalf of Mayor Michael J. McQuinn and the elected officials of our community, I'd like to welcome you to the 83rd Day Ceremony. Would you all please stand to attention. As the 1st New Hampshire Regiment of the Revolutionary War of both colors. At this time, Chief Sands will post the United States colors to the sound of the National Anthem.
[SPEAKER_08]: Company, present arms!
[SPEAKER_04]: Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome former World War II POW, former mayor of our community, City Councilor Alfred Pompeo.
[SPEAKER_02]: I am glad my comrades, auxiliaries, friends, this morning we are participating and a unique ceremony. The stars and stripes of our nation's banner of freedom, democracy, and courage is joined by the flag that symbolizes the sacrifice of America's prisoners of war and that of her unaccounted for heroes who remain on the roads of the missing in action. The flag raised is not a colorful flag, It is not an inspiring emblem. It was not intended to be. Black is the garb of mourners. It is the color of those who grieve for their lost ones. Returned POWs and all others still long for the news of those missing in action. On this somber black flag is a profiled head, that once was held proudly high, that once stood stalwart against the enemy, but now vowed it is the portrayal of a crestfallen captive under the watchful eye of his tower guard. It is the image of an American serviceman who has been stripped of all dignity and self-respect. The POWMIA flag is a stark and haunting reminder of man's inhumanity to man and a nation's pledge that their POWs and MIAs will never be forgotten. To submit to the enemy, to surrender in battle, is a decision arrived at when no alternative remains. Putting down one's arms when to resist is futile is to acknowledge that discretion is the better part of valor. Forced marches, torturous interrogations, unfit living conditions, rodent-ridden camps, life-infested bodies, starvation, dysentery, disease, and death for all the companions of prisoners of war. Life in the Stalags, the German prison camps, like all other war prison camps, was a psychological as well as a physiological ordeal. Coping with confinement and boredom in a barbed wire compound tested one's will not to succumb to depression and self-pity. While incarceration was made more tolerable talking about mother's home-cooked meals, many found it helpful not to be too proud to pray. Survival, it seems, was as much reliant on faith as on food. Prisoners of war knew that America would prevail against her enemies. They never doubted their nation's resolve to effect their liberation. Yet, while mindful that their country would not abandon them, many petitioned for help from a higher authority. And to this day, they humbly confess that it was amazing grace that set them free. Come on in. Let's go over there to the fire alarm.
[SPEAKER_08]: Warned! Fire alarms!
[SPEAKER_04]: Ladies and gentlemen, this concludes the POW MIA ceremony here at City Hall. I would ask at this point that you allow the 1st New Hampshire Regiment and the Medford High School Band to lead all those present to the ceremony as we honor our revolutionary heroes. At the scope. Form up, march on.
[SPEAKER_08]: Company, to the right, face.
[Unidentified]: I'm trying to catch my patience.
[SPEAKER_05]: Good morning ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, my name is John McNair, and I'll be honored to admit to Allied Veterans Council, and Kimberly Floreno, Director of Veterans Services here in the City of Medford, we welcome you to another phase of our Patriot's Day celebration. Our re-invocation is morning. said by Reverend Dr. Adelaide Everson of the Westminster Catholic Church.
[Unidentified]: Dr. Everson.
[SPEAKER_18]: Let us pray.
[SPEAKER_05]: Eternal God of the past, present, and future, Lord of history, through whose power men have won their freedom, To thy justice be held a vision of a righteous nation. To thy will lay down their lives to dedication in the purchase of liberty. We are mindful of the heritage which is ours. Help us to be worthy to stand in this place of hallowed ground. men and women of the Revolution who were buried here and whose memory we honor today. And all men and women who have given of themselves to serve their nation. Some of us who came here this day. I hope with my whole body to be steadfast in service, unwavering in fulfilling the task we gave before. And in satisfying dedication, may our hearts and minds sing with the liberty of the song we love, and may the prayer come to be, my country's destiny, sweet land of liberty. Of thee I will sing. Long may thy light be bright, with freedom's holy light. Protect us with thy might, great God, our King. In thy holy name we pray. Amen. Thank you, Dr. Ferguson. Ladies and gentlemen, Michael J. McClendon, here to receive the proclamation issued by His Excellency Governor William F. Weld.
[SPEAKER_06]: Thank you, sir. I'm here to issue this proclamation by His Excellency Governor William F. Weld. We're at April 19th, 1775, at a profound bearing on the history of our nation, And whereas on that day, three famous patriots, Paul Revere, William Dodd, and Dr. Samuel Prescott rose through the night to warn fellow colonists that British troops had been assembled and were coming with the intention of capturing the colonists' leaders and seizing their supplies. And whereas answering that alarm, men and women congregated on the village green in Lexington on the morning of April 19, 1775, took up arms and commenced the struggle that would end with the colonies independent from England. And where is the shark heard around the world? was fired in pocket by determined patriots from the Middlesex countryside who confronted the Red Coast and ultimately forced the British to turn back at the North Bridge, and whereas joining forces along the battle road at Menominee, now known as Arlington, men and men, militia and colonists from cities and towns throughout the Commonwealth decided to go repulse and excrete the British, and whereas it is appropriate that all Massachusetts citizens recognize the importance of this day in our history and pay tribute to the dedicated people who fought at the military in Lexington on that decisive day. Now, therefore, I, William S. Wells, Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, do hereby proclaim April 19, 1995 as Patriot's Day and observe April 18, 1895 as a day of celebration and urge the citizens of the Commonwealth take cognizance of this event by paying tribute to these valiant individuals of Massachusetts, and by recognizing their loyalty, courage, and dedication to our priceless heritage of freedom. Given to the Executive Chamber, William F. Weld Governor, William F. Gallivan, Secretary of the Commonwealth.
[SPEAKER_05]: Ladies and gentlemen, a beautiful story for you. Along with the three of you seen in your uniform, fate of all of us. Thank you very much. Ladies and gentlemen, the president of the Medford City Council, the Honorable Robin A. Good morning.
[SPEAKER_03]: We are again privileged this morning to gather here at the Salem Street Burying Ground to renew a tradition and to fulfill an imperative obligation. That of paying homage to the early settlers of our community who on that fateful April day in 1775 sent forth 59 brave men to join in the battle of Lexington and Concord. The men of Penton Company and the volunteers that they picked up along the way joined with Reading Company and fought the British at Marion's Corner in Lexington. Two of the 59 gave the allowance to the cause. In today's society, there are those who claim that patriotism is out of fashion, that to remember the deeds and the sacrifices of those who founded, who built, and whoever offended this free nation of ours is to say the least, passe. But we in Medford continue to meet for that purpose as we do this morning. Thank you to our historical, veterans, and scout organizations, and to the efforts of caring individuals to take this day duly observed with appropriate ceremonies in our community. To them, I offer our thanks for their dedication to take this day. As citizens of the community, that is blessed with such a rich heritage, a history that is unsurpassed by any locality, we remember with deep pride and venerate with lasting appreciation the men who answered with gallantry the call to violence at the beginning of the wall for American independence. Those patriots were the giants of the time. How can we not be proud as we look with lasting respect to that great pyramid that stands at the center of this burial ground? a monument that honors General John Wilkes. As a young man, he was among those who took up arms on April 19th. His service in Lexington was but an early page in a long and distinguished career as a soldier, a physician, a public servant, and as a respected citizen. We would be remiss as a community if we failed to remember people like John Wilkes, forbearers who stand out so boldly in Medford history. A friendly comrade of George Washington, John Brooks went on to achieve the rank of Major General, and as a public servant, he served the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as its governor. To this day, he remains the only Bedford resident to have ever served in the state's highest office, its governorship. That grand monument was erected in 1838, eight years following his death, by some very proud citizens of the then small town of Bedford. The inscription on that monument is vivid in telling us why that great patriot was so widely known, so highly honored, and so truly beloved. It reads, sacred to the memory of John Brooks, who was born in that visit in May of 1752, and educated at the town school. He took up arms for his country on the ancient day of April, 1775. He commanded a regiment which first entered the enemy's lines in Saratoga, and served with honor to the end of the war. He was appointed Marshal of the District of Massachusetts by President Washington, and after filling several important civic and military offices, he was, in the year 1816, chosen Governor of Commonwealth and discharged the duties of Asst. Station to seven successive years to General Acceptance. He was a kind and skillful physician, a brave and prudent officer, a wise, firm, and impartial magistrate, a true patriot, a good citizen, and a faithful friend. In his vanity as a gentleman, a moral cure, and in the profession and practice of a consistent Christian, he departed this life in peace on the 1st of March, 1825, aged 73. This monument to his honor and memory was erected by several of his fellow citizens and friends in the year 1838. Those who penned that inscription and erected that monument, I am confident, fully expected, that those who follow them in the future decades would continue to perpetuate the memories of men and women like General Brooks. People who played such a prominent role in the history of veteran, and of Massachusetts, and yes, of the United States. Today, 157 years after the dedication of the Brooks Monument on this April morning in 1995, we do just that. We continue to remember with pride and an appreciation of our heritage. It slew not only the 59 men of veteran company, who my collection can not only have recurred citizen soldier John Brooks, but all men and women who have followed them for more than two centuries, bravely and resolutely answering the call to arms whenever the freedom of our nation has been at risk. In remembering their deeds and their sacrifices, each of us can better appreciate what we enjoy in times of peace, the many bounties that arise as a free people. On this great crusade, Coming this year is the season of Easter and Passover. Let us ask God to bless our community of Bethlehem and to bless the United States of America.
[SPEAKER_05]: Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, we will now decorate the graves of those ages who are buried in this particular cemetery. As you know, there is another cemetery in the city of Medford where many others who fought in the Revolutionary War are buried. And in honoring those here today, we also honor those Medford residents who are buried cemetery alone in our com down the entire 13 homes by the Girl Scouts and C while they were doing so, K stand under it. Ladies and gentlemen, there are not only Manchurians, a.k.a. Seward, buried in this particular graveyard. There are 0.7 members of the First Manchurian Regiment who were buried in a common grave to my immediate left. The engraving is marked by a plain stone. Those men who were buried in that grave were killed in the battle of Conquered Hill. And we are very honored to have with us this morning members of the 1st Commandant's Regiment. I would like to introduce to you, Captain Joseph Stokes, who is the standing officer of the 1st Commandant's Regiment of D-Mass. As we conclude D-Mass, the 1st Commandant's Regiment will decorate and decorate. Captain Stokes. Thank you. I'd like to thank Mayor McLennan and the citizens of Edgewood for inviting us to come here today to honor the fallen heroes who've been injured. As we reminded earlier the POWs of the suffering of POWs, in a sense These men are the ultimate fear-fighters. They left their homes, their families, their farms, to fight for 20 years and have never returned. The Crescent General Regiment has come to fight as a menace, as it was performed on Muskegon shortly after the Battles of Lexington and Congress. And it was on June 17th that they marched from that day to fortify their battle, throwing up the night before on Greece Day. They took up positions along a split metal fence and stone wall to the beach, and they withstood two furious attacks, and it was a battle. When the third shot finally carried the result, John Stock formed his men behind the result and allowed them to retreat in an orderly manner and not be massacred by British troops coming up the hill. The last man killed at Bunker Hill was Nathan McClary, who was struck by a cannonball as he crossed the broadway trying to get to Somerville. He was also from New Hampshire. It appears from irony that the first man killed at Bunker Hill was also struck by a cannonball. His name is Asa Pollock of Bill River. The first man to ride in a horn from there could fight many gods. It was finally discharged to New Berkeley Art in 1783, thus making it the longest-serving ribbon in the Revolutionary War. Class of 18, please separate your class and grades. Thank you for your service. Our benediction will be offered this morning. I pledge the presence of Her Majesty's Kingdom.
[SPEAKER_17]: Thank you. On this beautiful morning, I'd like to share a blessing in honor of all the beautiful brave men and women buried here at the Salish Creek burial ground. Ubi caritas, ami, amor, ubi caritas, deus ex machina. Beloved, where God is, there is love. And God is right here today through the faith of our fathers and our mothers. Let us bow our heads for the benediction. And now, gracious God, our father, may God bless you, May his face shine upon you and be gracious unto you. May the God lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. In the name of the Trinity, God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, amen.
[SPEAKER_05]: Thank you, Reverend King. Ladies and gentlemen, we are going to be honoring our fallen heroes with a ceremonial salute. The first will be spawned by Code 45 American Legion firing squad. The second will be spawned by the 1st Commandant's Sheriff's Regiment of Public Affairs. The third will be spawned by the 1st Commandant's Sheriff's Regiment of Public Affairs. And it's located immediately outside the because that will be followed after the canon. It will be followed by deaths, by dropped landings, and post-45 emergencies.
[SPEAKER_02]: Handle turkey. Charge turkey. Rim turkey.
[SPEAKER_16]: Ready for next?
[Unidentified]: Fire. Ready for next?
[SPEAKER_11]: How are ya?
[SPEAKER_13]: Happy Patriots Day.
[SPEAKER_11]: You too. Happy Patriots Day. Right over here.
[SPEAKER_09]: Where's the big sign? Huh? Where's the big sign?
[SPEAKER_17]: well they have them all
[SPEAKER_15]: I want to start taking pictures.
[SPEAKER_13]: My name is John Sardone. I'm the past commander of the Disabled Vets here at Medford. And this is one wonderful ceremony that they have every year. Patriot Day means a lot to the veterans because veterans go back as far back as the Boxer Rebellions years ago. And this is quite an event that takes place each and every year.
[SPEAKER_12]: And my name is Tom McCartney, Post 45 American Legion. I'm happy to be here to celebrate this great event and glad to see so many people here enjoying this thing. Thank you very much. God love you all. Thank you.
[SPEAKER_01]: Hi, I'm Marcia Caron, Coordinator of Fine Arts for the Public Schools. We're glad to be here today on this beautiful sunny day and we love participating in the Patriot's Day Parade. I want to say that I'm very proud of the Medford High School Band and Color Guard. They've done a lot this year. We're very happy to have them. We've had such a successful year. We're very proud of them. They've just participated in an exchange concert with Tingsboro High School Band. And coming up on May 13th, we're hoping Channel 3 will be there. Mo Vaughn is coming to be guest conductor and he's going to make an appearance with the Medford High School Band. So we're very happy to have him and we look forward to seeing you all there. 7.30, Medford High School Cage.
[SPEAKER_00]: The only one that can park in the square now is Paul Revere and his men. This is so we can win the war and go to Lexington. Bye now.
[SPEAKER_11]: Good afternoon. I want to congratulate everybody on this excellent ceremony today. I think it's wonderful to bring back the Patriot Day activities for our younger generation. And at this time, I'd like to introduce our past president of the Gold Star, Mother Anne Swain. Mary Hannaford, past president of the American Legion Auxiliary, Unit 45. Sally Moralia, past president of the American Legion Auxiliary. Ann Dean, its treasurer of the American Legion Auxiliary, Unit 45. Dolores Cicero-Lewis-Shy, and I'm Marion Daly, president of the American Legion Auxiliary Unit 45 and everybody have a wonderful day.
[SPEAKER_16]: Yes, sir, the raider's coming out. Lay him on the floor. Right. Come in.
[SPEAKER_06]: Hey, Allison.
[SPEAKER_18]: Good morning.
[SPEAKER_07]: I'd like to welcome everybody here for the re-enactment of the Midnight Ride. At this point, I'd like to call upon our senior at the high school, Alicia Indichati, who will recite the Midnight Ride.
[SPEAKER_14]: On an eighteenth of April, he set up his fire, proudly danced, smiled, and said, I'm going to stay here. He set up his friend. In Cabrita Park, where I am standing from the top to the ninth, he hanged a lantern clock in the middle of the park, on the north shore of the tower, at a sitting point. One was my name, and two was my sleep.
[SPEAKER_15]: And I, on the opposite shore of the morning, read to her I was writing a love, with every word that I knew in a thought, a little happy poem to be up in her tongue. Then he said, good night, and with a muffled whore, silently rode to the top of the shore. Just as the moon rose over the bay, when swinging wide as her moorings lay, the Somerset, British men of war, a phantom ship, with each mast in spout, across the moon like a prison barge, in a huge black hulk that was magnified by its own reflection in the tide. Meanwhile, his friend, the alley and street, wanders and watches with eager ears. So in the silence around him he hears the muster of men at the barrack door, the sound of arms and the trance of feet, and the measured tread of the grenadiers marching down to the boats on the shore. Then he climbed the tower of the Old North Church by the wooden stairs, the stealthy trench, the velvety chamber overhead, and startled the pigeons from their perch. on the somber rafters that round him gave, masses of moving shapes of shade, by the trembling ladder, deep and tall, to the highest window in the wall, where he paused to listen and look down, a moment on the roofs of the town, and the moonlight glowing over all. Beneath in the churchyard lay the dead, in their night encampment on the hill, wrapped in silence, so deep and still, that he could hear, like a sentinel's trend, the watchful night wind as it went, creeping along from tent to tent, and seeming to whisper, all is well. A moment only reveals the spell of the place and the hour and the secret dread of the lonely belfry and the dead, But suddenly, all his thoughts are bent on a shadowy someplace far away, where the river widens to meet the bay, a line of flat that bends and floats on the rising tide like a bridge of boats. Meanwhile, impatience now derives, scooted and spurred with a heavy stride, on the opposite shore, to what far reveals.
[SPEAKER_07]: Thank you very much, great job. Before I introduce our guest of honor, I want to introduce one other person here, a great note, 83 years young just recently, the original Paul Revere for many years, General Dino DeCarlo, if you could take a bow. General, thanks for being here. And now I'd like to introduce the General's grandson, Paul Revere.
[SPEAKER_09]: It's great to see a big crowd here, but I must go on. The lights are dimmed to warn the rest of the people that the British are coming, and off we conquer.
[SPEAKER_06]: We've got to stay back.
[SPEAKER_07]: I want to thank everybody for coming today. I just want to thank the 1st Regiment in New Hampshire for traveling all the way down to join with us today. It's certainly added to our festivities. We also want to thank Sergeant Mike Palumbo, who was detached here from the Pentagon earlier this week to ensure the safety of Paul Revere and his riding crew. Thank you, Sarge. And last but not least, Kenny Gaffney for the constant talent that he shows to all of us every year. Thank you, Mr. Gaffney.
[SPEAKER_10]: It's a beautiful day here in Medford Square on this Patriots Day. We had Paul Revere come on down and say hello and warn us. And look at, this is great. Everybody's having a great day.