[Speaker 1] (0:26 - 0:53)
For those of you who are here every year, you know Reverend Mark Templeton usually leads us in prayer. I think we may have to return the favor. He's had surgery coming up and couldn't make it.

He's such a fixture, and I wanted to make sure that we did send him our prayers. If you see him, wish him well. We've been lucky to have with us, to lead us in prayer, Afghanistan veteran and post commander of DAV Chapter 64, Jeffrey Blondin.

[Speaker 3] (0:56 - 1:58)
If thanks to the eternal, God is good. His mercy endures forever. Oh sovereign of the universe, bless our nation, safeguard it and its ideals of freedom and liberty.

Bless our veterans, our defenders of liberty, who brave dangers to defend us from those who have been wounded physically. Keep their spirits high, make them sincerity of their gratitude. Find spiritual joy and pray for individuals.

[Speaker 1] (2:08 - 2:43)
As a father, thank you for being here. Thank you so much. I say that about kids, but I think they can stand still longer than I can.

One more time, a round of applause for the children from Swampscott. Thank you.

[Speaker 3] (2:49 - 2:52)
I will say, that's one of the components.

[Speaker 1] (2:53 - 5:15)
When I first got this job, I spoke with Jimmy Schultz, the veteran's agent, before I was here. And he talked to me about this program, and about the spirit of the program, and how it involves the children, and how the gifts are given to the veterans here. The spirit of it is that community coming together, where we talk about Erin Delisio and her students coming to get gifts.

One thing that's going to happen today too, after the gifts are given by the children, you're going to receive a pin that says, proud to be a Swampscott veteran. Just an expression of thank you, thank you for your service, from one veteran to another, but frankly from the town. Thank you very much.

Before we start, I just want to get a great, great round of applause for the veterans that are standing right here in front of us. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention, to my right, to your left, the Essex County Sheriff's Honor Guard. It's been nice enough to come down here and really add just a touch of gravitas to our program.

Again, thank you very much for being here. You know, a lot of people use words like loyalty, respect. What I know about the veterans in front of me, and I know that almost all veterans I know, those words are more than just throwaway terms.

It's how they live, it's how they survived, it's how they came home. And I think today too, we're going to hear from our guest speaker, Marika Sohan from the Vet Center. Their loyalty, their dedication to service, now it's our responsibility to step up to make sure that we have these services in place and this help in place for them when they need it.

So with that, I will be brief. We have a full program, but I again want to just on a personal level say thank you to the veterans that are here today, and just an incredible group. So our first speaker is Sean Fitzgerald, the Swampscott Town Manager, Town Administrator, forgive me.

And Sean's been a real supporter of these sort of events, and I want to say thank you. I think we're moving towards a real holistic approach, whether it's through the Senior Center, the library, and these sort of events, and really focusing on mental health. So one more time, I want to say thank you to Sean.

[Speaker 5] (5:22 - 7:51)
Thank you, Michael. I want to thank the parents that brought your children here so that we can gather as a community and really recognize every freedom, every single thing that we love about our lives is because of the gentlemen that are standing in front of you, and because of everybody that has sworn an oath to lay down their lives so that we could have this extraordinary democracy. I am so proud to be here today, and certainly it's a wonderful moment to gather here on Monument Ave. On a personal note, I am humbled, and I want to thank all of our veterans. We have many veterans who are standing in this line that continue to serve every single day and help the town of Swampscott and help others support all of the blessings that we have in our democracy. All of these monuments on Monument Ave here have stories. I would encourage you to take a minute and walk down this road and look at the names that are on these monuments and think about their lives and the stories and the sacrifices that the families and the individuals have made so that we can enjoy such a beautiful day.

I want to thank Patrick Burke, our commander down at our Veterans Center. Over the last year, we've cobbled together a group of five different veterans organizations, along with Jeffrey Blonder and a number of the other leaders of our veterans organizations. We must do more.

We know that we have a crisis with mental health. We know that our veterans are paying too much of that cost. In Swampscott, we have lost veterans because of mental health challenges.

We have to do better, and the town is committed to doing better. With that, this is a day to celebrate our veterans. Please don't leave here without a chance to shake a hand or to ask one of our veterans about their service and hear more about their lives and be inspired by their legacy of service.

I'm grateful for everybody that has taken the time to be here. Nothing, nothing that you could do today would be more important than to be right here. So thank you.

[Speaker 1] (8:10 - 8:53)
Not part of our speaking program, but people that are here today, I think we should make note of. Again, the support is invaluable. Mary Ellen Fletcher from the Select Board is here.

Thank you for being here. Peter Stelios from the Select Board. Thank you.

And our next speaker, David Grishman, has been, since he's been on the Select Board, has reached out and has talked and tried to find out-of-the-box ways to help veterans to kind of talk about it. So I think he's a really great asset. I want to introduce him one more time.

Ladies and gentlemen, David Grishman.

[Speaker 6] (9:01 - 11:16)
Most Americans profess to love our veterans, especially at gatherings like this on Veterans Day. While their feelings are usually sincere, it's very important for all of us to remember that veterans are defending us 365 days a year. The heroism that has been demonstrated time and time again by veterans, from the American Revolution to the Global War on Terrorism, is sometimes unnoticed by those of us who enjoy the simple security that their sacrifice has provided.

For many veterans, our nation was important enough to endure long separations from their families, miss the births of their children, lose limbs, and, far too often, their lives. Military spouses have had to endure career interruptions, frequent changes of address, and a disproportionate share of parental responsibilities. Our children often have to deal with changes in school, social events, and, the hardest of all, the uncertainty of whether or not their father or grandfather will be able to support them through life.

And after life in a society without war is appealing, let's not forget that wars have liberated slaves, stopped genocide, and toppled terrorism. Historians have said that Dwight Eisenhower was prouder of being a soldier than he was of being President. While relatively few veterans ever reach the rank of General, pride in one's military service is a bond shared by nearly all who have served.

This pride is on display on every obituary page in the country, where military service, regardless of how many decades have passed and subsequent achievements reached, is mentioned with the death notice of nearly every deceased veteran. Fewer than 10% of all Americans can claim the title of veteran. Far less than 1% of our population is currently defending us in the global war on terrorism.

Veterans have given us freedom, security, and the greatest nation on earth. And it is impossible to put a price on that. We must remember them.

We must appreciate them today and every day. God bless you all for being here. God bless our veterans.

And God bless America. Thank you.

[Speaker 1] (11:26 - 11:39)
I'd like to call forward a good friend. I had the pleasure of actually working with him for 15 years almost. And he still shows up, so that tells you something.

Maybe he has bad judgment.

[Speaker 8] (11:40 - 11:49)
Ladies and gentlemen, I'm not kidding when it comes to helping veterans. I know I say that a lot, but he's one of those guys I know I can call in and get some help.

[Speaker 7] (12:05 - 14:19)
Good morning, everyone. It's truly an honor for me to stand in front of the veterans here, in front of me and the veterans' families. I can't thank you enough.

From the bottom of my heart, your commitment, your dedication, and your sacrifice, what you've done for our country is just beyond belief. And from myself, I know everybody in the audience today just want to give a very heartfelt thank you. Because without you and the jobs you have all done for the adherence swamps throughout our country, it really protects our freedoms, as we all know.

So, folks, would you just join me in one more round of applause for all the veterans in front of me? We can't forget your families, because I know you won't forget your families. But when you're in the service protecting us, whether you're home or abroad or wherever it may be, your families are home here, keeping the houses, keeping the kids, keeping the families intact, worrying about you every day.

So to the families, thank you so much. Just another group that we should never forget. We should always maintain the support for them when our veterans are out there doing their thing.

So thank you all to them. Thank you. And I want to just echo a couple of the comments that the previous speakers mentioned about support.

Yes, we have to support our veterans that are active now. Look at what's going on in the world today, whether it's Ukraine or North Korea or the Taiwan incident. We're this far from another major conflict arising, and we need to be prepared.

Preparation is always, to me, a great prevention measure. So we don't have to send our veterans into the battle, but we can get ahead of it. But we need to support the veterans from day one right through the end of their lives.

God forbid they're nice and long. But the services you may need, whatever it may be, medical, mental health, whatever it may be, we need to support you all your lives, all our lives, because we're dependent upon you. You've served us well, and we want to continue to make sure you know that and we appreciate it.

So to everyone here, to the veterans, to your families, to the kids who could be our future veterans, thank you so much. Take care. Be well.

God bless.

[Speaker 1] (14:27 - 14:40)
Our next speaker is Jen Armini. I actually was lucky enough to meet her flag and graves this year, so good start. She really seems committed, and we're really happy to have her here with us.

Ladies and gentlemen, Representative-elect Jen Armini.

[Speaker 4] (14:41 - 17:39)
Good to be here with you on this gorgeous, gorgeous day. You know, that father's World War II dog tags, I have for many years. The greatest honor in my father's life was being a veteran.

He was in the Army Air Corps, 6th Photo Squadron, during World War II. And what I noticed as he got older is that he spoke so movingly and so lovingly about the men who served him. And he would often shake his head and, you know, look down and mourn those who were lost.

That's the legacy that I want to continue. My father's legacy and the love and the sense of honor that he had for service. He would be so thrilled to see me here in front of you today.

I visited Lynn this morning, and then I went to Marblehead, and now I'm here with you. And every time I'm with veterans, I feel just this incredible sense of gratitude and great love. And so, to the extent that my service, which will begin in January, can honor and support you, that's what I consider a very, very important part of my job.

The other thing I want to say is, earlier this week, I went to the memorial for Captain Jennifer Harris. And one of the things I took away from that experience was not just that she was the most incredible human being, and her loss is our loss, our great loss. We were so fortunate to have her for the 44 years, for almost 44 years, which was great.

But I want to say to those here that you take a very special place. The groups that you have here in Swanstown, they serve you so spiritedly, that supports its families and supports its veterans. And for that, I think you can all be grateful.

So, thank you so much. I thank you. Standing in front of you is a great honor, and I look forward to working with you.

[Speaker 1] (17:51 - 20:20)
And, you know, with that in mind, I think I'd be remiss if I didn't mention it later, but on December 4th, we're lucky enough to have with us someone I'm proud to call a friend, Jackie Raymond. Thank you for being here, Jackie. Anyone who has gone by has seen that beautiful memorial, donated anonymously.

I just want everyone to realize how special not only that memorial is, but how special that family is. It's been an honor to know you and your family, Jackie. It really has been.

But I want to say, December 4th at 1130, please come down. We're going to have a dedication for that memorial, and I think it's a tremendous, stunning memorial that I think is frankly worthy of its service and sacrifice. So, one more time, just so we can just – so, thank you, Jackie.

Thank you. Thank you. This comes to one of my favorite parts of the program that I'm not going to be able to do right now.

So, we're going to – our guest speaker, our keynote speaker, is Marika Solman, and she's a clinical psychologist and director of the Boston Vet Center. She's been working with veterans since 2009 and specializes in treating PTSD, substance abuse, and mental health. She's an assistant professor of psychiatry at Boston University School of Medicine and serves on the board of directors for the Greater Boston Veterans Collaborative.

And I think any time those of us who've been seeing the markers on Town Hall every Memorial Day, there are people you know who are on there. There are your friends that are on there. And I think I can speak for an awful lot of Iraq or Afghanistan veterans.

I think we've lost more since we got home than we did in country. And I think that that's why these connections, these sort of – these people coming in to talk, and not just with words, again, with deeds. The Boston Vet Center is going to actually collaborate with us and be part of the team.

The police – the Swamp Scout Police have a multi-mental health task force that has really done good work, not specifically for veterans across the board, and they're going to be taking part of that going forward. So we thank her for being here. Ladies and gentlemen, Dr. Marika Solheim.

[Speaker 2] (20:35 - 26:33)
For the next meeting, the Veterans Service Office. On Veterans Day, we often talk about the sacrifices made during military service. In fact, many of our speakers thus far have referenced those.

But sometimes those sacrifices are not actually the most challenging part of someone's service. More often, the challenge is coming home, coming home to friends and family and places that they haven't been in touch with for a while, coming home to a civilian way of life that seems unfamiliar and uncomfortable, and coming home to people's assumptions and expectations of them as veterans. For many veterans, this is when the challenges really begin, when they face the complicated transition to civilian life and the recognition of the ways in which their service has changed them.

This is when they might need support the most. But it's hard to ask for help, and veterans have a tendency to continue their sacrifice in the form of sacrificing their own well-being in order to appear strong and reliable to others. The challenges veterans face may take the form of PTSD, substance use, depression, anxiety, or it may just take the form of feeling bogged down by the normal stress of jobs and family and daily life.

Veterans need to be reminded that asking for help is actually an act of courage and strength. At the Boston Vet Center, we offer mental health counseling for these types of struggles. And the veterans that come to us often do so for the sake of other people in their life.

They come to therapy because they want to be a better spouse, a better parent, a better friend, a better employee. But I'll tell you guys a secret. They don't come to counseling because that spouse or children or employer told them to.

The vast majority of referrals that we get at the Boston Vet Center and many of our vet centers come because a veteran heard from another veteran about our service. That's what leads to folks often getting help. That another veteran has talked about their own struggles and encouraged someone to seek their own support.

So in service of this, I'll illustrate this for you guys with a story from the veteran that I work with that I was speaking to just last night. He's a young Marine Corps veteran with an Afghanistan deployment. Been working with him for a little while now.

He's doing splendidly. Just started a new career in law enforcement. And he was telling me about a buddy of his, another Marine Corps veteran who lives in Pennsylvania.

And the Marine in Pennsylvania has been struggling. Not sleeping, drinking too much, feeling pretty down, moments of feeling suicidal. And my client and all of his buddies have been rallying around this veteran to try to give him support and encouragement.

But it wasn't until my client spoke with him, his buddy in Pennsylvania the other day, and for the first time disclosed his own mental health struggles and his own engagement with our vet center that this veteran really took notice of this. And two days later connected with his own local vet center in Pennsylvania. As a result of the veteran I work with disclosing his own efforts to seek help and support.

I share this as a way to demonstrate exactly how much power veterans themselves have to impact and destigmatize mental health issues in the military and veteran communities. Veterans actually hold a tremendous amount of power in reducing veteran suicide risk by reaching out to one another and talking openly and honestly about the difficulties during and after their service. For the rest of us, the job is to make sure that veterans have the resources they need.

And that we're removing any and all barriers to veterans accessing these resources. At the Boston Vet Center we offer opportunities for connection and healing that are not therapy in the form of book clubs and our monthly game night and outdoor expeditions. We offer evening hours and virtual and in-person appointment options so that veterans can schedule their care flexibly and it can be convenient.

We take extra steps to ensure the security and privacy of their care and their information and their medical records so that they feel safe seeking care with us. We offer couples therapy to make sure that veterans have healthy support at home. And we strive for a casual, relaxed environment at our clinic.

And we show up at community events so that veterans and their families can approach us and our services without feeling intimidated. And finally, we partner closely with several first responder agencies to make sure that our veterans in these high-intensity careers have the support they need to meet the demands of the job expectancy. So on Veterans Day, I encourage civilians to do more than thank a veteran for their service.

Instead, welcome them home and ask them about how that transition has gone for them. And to veterans, I challenge you to call a buddy and have an honest conversation about how you're both doing. And know that the Boston Vet Center and all vet centers are here if you need us.

Thank you.

[Speaker 1] (26:35 - 27:13)
Thank you so much, Dr. Swain. This brings us to a really great part of the program. Erin Delisio and the children from the Swan Scott Elementary students are now going to present gifts to the veterans.

And as they go down the line, there's also going to be another group of people coming down to thank you for your service in the town and for the commemorative pins we talked about. So thank you so much.

[Speaker 3] (27:13 - 30:46)
Thank you for your service. I'd like everybody now to please, even though Veterans Day, thank you for your service.

[Speaker 1] (30:46 - 31:12)
One more time for these great veterans here, please. On Veterans Day, we honor our living veterans. We honor those of our brothers and sisters.

But we'd be remiss if we did not take a moment to remember those who did not come home. So please, if you would join me in a moment of silence in memory of the fallen.

[Speaker 9] (31:28 - 31:29)
Thank you.

[Speaker 1] (31:35 - 33:32)
So I want to say thank you once again for being here today. This does not happen in every community. Understand that.

The broad spectrum of the community that shows up here, the children, veterans from every era, please take note of how great this community responds. This is something else that's really impressive. It makes me proud.

So with that, we have a couple of events coming up. Check the town website. Check our Facebook page, lynnswampstrapx, shameless plug.

On November 22nd, we're going to be doing something called Hero Meals. I don't know if anyone remembers that from last year. We hand out over at the Military Friends Foundation headquarters over on Humphrey Street.

We give out boxes and we give out gift cards. We don't give out turkeys. I don't want to kill anyone with poultry, so I stick with the gift card.

But it is one of those events, and I need you to hear this. It is a thank you for your service. It is a thank you for your service, whether you're a veteran or a Gold Star family member.

Please come down. You have to register online, so we'll pass that out. But if you can't, please, there will be a phone number on there.

Please reach out. We're happy to help. We want to give out as much as we can.

We're doing it in Swampscott. The Military Friends is doing it in Swampscott. Hanscom Air Force Base in Springfield.

This is a statewide program, but we're lucky enough to have it here, so please, please. On December 17th, you'll be hearing people plugging on. We have wreaths across America coming on at 11 a.m. over at Swampscott Cemetery. Please, if you can't purchase a wreath to donate, please come down there. Even if you're not part of the crew, please. It's a beautiful day, and it's really a great way for us to honor our fallen brothers and sisters.

With that, I want to say thank you for being here one more time. Happy Veterans Day to my brothers and sisters who are here. Also, please, we'll see you in the cemetery on Memorial Day.

Thanks again. You give me a microphone, I'll never stop talking.

[Speaker 8] (33:34 - 33:39)
You don't need the microphone. You're right.

[Speaker 1] (33:41 - 34:01)
He just called me a loudmouth, for those of you who didn't hear it. You're probably right. Here's the deal.

Right now, at the Veterans Crossing, 8 Pine Street, please, there's a coalition after this. They worked really hard on it. Please come down.

They really put their effort together to welcome the community on days like today. So please come on down. Thanks again.

I promise that's it.