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Good morning everyone and

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welcome to the town of Swampscot Veterans Day ceremony.

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We thank you for joining us as we honor all those who have served our nation,

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past and present.

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Today we come together as one community to express our deep gratitude to those who have defended our freedoms,

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protected our democracy and stood for one another here at home.

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and across the world.

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Please join me in welcoming Reverend Mark Templeman,

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Chaplain of the Swan Scott Fire Department,

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for the opening prayer.

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Let us pray.

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Gracious and loving God, we give you thanks for this day, for this chance in freedom and in peace to gather.

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We give you thanks for our veterans.

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Those who are with us, those whom we remember and hold dear in our hearts,

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bless this time,

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bless this honoring of our veterans on this day.

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For we do give you thanks and praise.

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Amen.

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I would now ask you to rise.

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Please remain standing for the Pledge of Allegiance, led by the Girl Scouts of Ocean Bay and the Boy Scouts of Troop 53 and Cub Scouts Pack 55,

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followed by the National Anthem performed by Swampscott High School's Scout Myers.

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under God,

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indivisible, with liberty and

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justice for all.

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Front stripes and

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Please be seated.

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If I could one more time, a round of applause for the children of Swampscott. Thank you.

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And I can especially say thank you to Scout.

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Great job. Thank you so much.

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And you'll be hearing from her later in the program.

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I want to thank some of our elected officials that are here today,

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and you'll be hearing from some in just a moment.

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With us today,

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Katie Phelan,

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the Swampscott Select Board Chair.

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Thank you, Katie,

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for being here.

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Mary Ellen Fletcher from the Select Board is here.

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Thank you very much, Mary Ellen.

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For the first time on Veterans Day, our Newtown Administrator Nick Connors. Thank you for being here and thank you for all the support, Nick.

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I'd now like to call forward Select Board Member David Grishman.

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Good morning.

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Today we pay homage to the unrelenting bravery

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and dedication that distinguish all those who have earned the title of American veteran.

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It's an honor that only a small percentage of Americans can claim,

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and it's a badge of courage that unites across all ages,

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regardless of background,

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because to be a veteran is to have endured and survived challenges most Americans will never know.

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And you've done it for us. You've done it for America.

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To defend and serve American values.

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To protect our country and our Constitution against all enemies.

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And to lay a stronger,

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more secure foundation on which future generations can continue to build a more perfect union.

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Each of our veterans is a link in the proud chain of patriots that has stood in the defense of our country and each,

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each understood the price of freedom.

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and each shouldered that burden on our behalf.

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Our veterans represent the best of America.

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You are the spine of America,

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not just the backbone.

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You are the spine of this country,

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and all of us, all of us owe you.

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And so on Veterans Day and every day we honor that great debt and we recommit ourselves to keeping our sacred obligation as a nation to honor what you've done.

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We have so many obligations to our children,

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to our elderly,

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to those truly in need.

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We have many obligations but only one truly sacred obligation to properly prepare those and equip those we send into harm's way and care for them and their families while they're both deployed and when they return home.

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This is a lifetime sacred commitment.

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It never expires.

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So to all the mothers and fathers, sons and daughters,

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spouses and those who stand alongside our veterans and their families,

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caregivers,

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survivors,

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we've asked so much of you for so long and our nation is grateful.

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Since 9-11,

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hundreds of thousands of Americans have served.

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So many are still serving today in harm's way and we cannot forget them.

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The American people are forever grateful and in awe of what you've accomplished.

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May God bless you all.

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God bless all American veterans and those who proudly earn that title.

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And may God protect our troops.

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Thank you.

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It is now my pleasure not only to introduce Sheriff Coppinger, but thank him for being here and for the Essex County Sheriff's Department.

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Color Guard that is here with us today.

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Thank you very much for all their work. It's not easy out here in the cold,

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so we give a round of applause for these guys.

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Ladies and gentlemen,

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Sheriff Kevin Carpenter.

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Well good morning everyone.

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As Mike said, I think winter's coming so we know.

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So someone much wiser than me once said, Kevin,

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be brief,

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be blunt,

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be gone.

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So I'm going to try and give you the shorter version of my speech.

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First of all, thank you to Mike Sweeney and the Veterans Council and the town of Swampskin for putting this event on.

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It's awesome.

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This is one of the best days of the year for me to honor our veterans and to all the veterans here and your families.

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Thank you for what you've done and what you will do and what you will continue to do for.

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Who fought all of us here in America.

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My heart goes out to you. I want to say an honest thank you.

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At the end of last week, I was at another veterans breakfast over in Danvis, and it was a packed house,

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525 veterans,

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with a keynote speaker,

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a gentleman by the name of Chris Toronto Paranto.

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That name may be familiar if you've ever seen that movie,

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13 Hours, The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi.

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Well,

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I'm not here to dictate his or repeat his issues or his involvement with that horrible tragedy back when the American embassy was taken over in Libya.

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But I was taken back by his comments about why he did it, because after he gave his story,

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someone said,

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would you do it again?

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And he said, absolutely and truly.

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And it just got me thinking about,

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for all you veterans,

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the day you enlist,

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your life is changing forever.

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You're giving up life as you have.

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You had it.

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And let's be honest, some of you went in at a young age,

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you probably didn't know what life is,

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and you look back now and hopefully you'll say that was the right decision I made.

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But we all thank you for that because you...

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And especially today where the world is so topsy-turvy with all kinds of issues going on and we depend so much on our veterans for our freedom,

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our democracy and our future.

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And let's not forget about your families to all the veterans,

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the families of our vets who also make substantial sacrifices where they see their loved ones gone for long periods of time, not knowing what's going to happen or what tomorrow will bring.

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So from the bottom of my heart to each and every one of the veterans and your families,

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we as a society need to continue to support you no matter what it is, what you may need. Please just ask.

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That's what we're here for.

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That's why we're here every year to remember Veterans Day.

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You put the service in,

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we are here now to service you.

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So please let us know whatever we can do.

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So in closing,

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because it is cold and I can see you're all shivering,

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as am I,

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you have my respect,

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you have my admiration,

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and you have my gratitude.

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May God bless.

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Thank you.

[Speaker 2] (11:31 - 11:34)
So I enjoy this part of the program every year where we play the service songs,

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but this will also give everybody sitting in front of me an opportunity to stand up, maybe loosen up, warm up a bit.

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Hard to tell jokes in the cold.

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Please enjoy this medley of service songs.

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As each song is played,

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veterans of that branch are invited to stand and be recognized.

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Bombs guard.

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And I'd be remiss if I did not mention

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The leadership not only from VFW Post 1240,

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DAV Chapter 64,

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and from American Legion's Post 57,

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thank you so much for being here.

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We really appreciate it, everything you do,

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not just today,

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but for the veterans in the community. So thank you so much for being here.

[Speaker 2] (16:46 - 16:49)
Thank you. It's an honor to welcome here with us today.

[Speaker 2] (16:49 - 16:50)
Warren Griffin,

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a Vietnam veteran,

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retired Boston school teacher,

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and today's guest speaker.

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A Boston native and a Natick High School graduate,

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Warren served in the United States Marine Corps beginning in 1968.

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He served in Vietnam in the Mekong Delta as a forward naval gunfire observer with the 1st Angako Subunit 1. Following his military service...

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He earned degrees from Framingham State University and spent more than three decades in education as a teacher and as an administrator and as an advocate.

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And that's where I've known him when he's an advocate. He's a true advocate for veterans,

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certainly for Vietnam veterans across the Commonwealth.

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He's a thoughtful man.

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We're lucky to have him here with us today.

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Not only...

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because of who he is and how much he's done for veterans,

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but he is, I want to make note,

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he is not only the past commandant of the Marine Corps League in Massachusetts,

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but the immediate past commandant for the Marine Corps League nationally.

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We're lucky to have him here.

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Ladies and gentlemen,

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Warren Griffin.

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Good morning all first.

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Thank you to all of the

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Both the civic organizations,

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state organizations, and our veterans who have come out here to celebrate Veterans Day here in Swampscott.

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Outstanding town,

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outstanding people are here in Swampscott. I've had a few connections with Swampscott that you'll find out as I go through.

[Speaker 2] (18:28 - 18:29)
Good morning, ladies and gentlemen,

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and thank you for joining us here today as we celebrate Veterans Day.

[Speaker 1] (18:36 - 18:43)
This tradition began in 1919 to commemorate the end of World War I and was thus named Arms Day.

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November 11,

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1918 at 11 o'clock, the war ended with an arms being signed. Of course, this was the day to celebrate.

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Ad infinitum.

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This was the war to end all wars.

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Wars were now to be just pages in our history books.

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What a historic achievement!

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We finally realized that wars are devastating for all.

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Finally,

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a world of peace and growth.

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There was no reason to wage war.

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Unfortunately,

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we do not live in a world of utopia.

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There was always evil lurking which can gain power.

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As we now know, just 20 years ago,

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after the armistice,

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was established an evil which lashed out with Germany's invasion of Poland and the world would become thrust into the ravages of war once again.

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At the end of World War I,

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the veterans returned home from war.

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but not all veterans were able to move on.

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Some were severely disabled and needed physical support.

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Our government did not rightfully appreciate these veterans.

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It did not have the proper support established for them.

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Once discharged,

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thank you for your service and now you're on your own.

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You aren't part of the military anymore.

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The 700-bed Boston Reconstruction Hospital was established to care for these veterans by the Fraternal Order of Elks in 1918.

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The Elks donated the hospital to the government and the government...

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I am sure was embarrassed to establish the VA hospital care system.

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It is this that we will first have to go through later,

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no, I'm sorry.

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The government's right to ask our military to serve anywhere in the world in any capacity that is needed,

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but if any ill befalls them while in service,

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It is the obligation to take care of those veterans in the best manner possible.

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Here in Boston area,

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we are blessed with the greatest health care system in the world.

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As a result,

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the VA hospitals are staffed with physicians from the greatest health care institutions providing our veterans with excellent support.

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Now who are these exceptional people we call veterans?

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They are your waiters, babysitters, landscapers, athletes,

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athletes who sat on the bench,

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years of newspaper deliverers, caddies, etc.

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They became exceptional because they made that commitment to serve their country in its military.

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This was a major step in a young person's development and character.

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In World War II...

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Twelve percent of the nation's population served in the military.

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In the Korean War,

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it would dip to 10.7 percent.

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In the Vietnam War,

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it would dip again to 9.7 percent.

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In our most recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan,

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the percentage dipped to 1 percent.

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One percent of the area's population has served us in war.

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99% of us need to honor these new veterans.

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They were 18,

[Speaker 1] (22:40 - 22:41)
19,

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20 or more and signed the pledge to support and defend our nation and its perspectives in many ways.

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These needed young men and women to step forward.

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They did all, all 1% of them.

[Speaker 1] (22:58 - 23:06)
Now we are obligated to step up and support them with adequate legislation to combat their disabilities and needs.

[Speaker 1] (23:07 - 23:15)
The era of castigating our veterans of the Vietnam War has been rightfully acknowledged as a nation's disgrace.

[Speaker 1] (23:16 - 23:21)
That time for our veterans should never be lived again by any generation of veterans.

[Speaker 1] (23:24 - 23:31)
Today's veterans provide a highly motivated, dependable, objective-driven person for any company or workplace setting.

[Speaker 1] (23:32 - 23:34)
You are getting qualified,

[Speaker 1] (23:34 - 23:35)
proven workers.

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So take full advantage of this workforce at your disposal.

[Speaker 1] (23:40 - 23:41)
You will not regret it.

[Speaker 1] (23:42 - 23:49)
These 1% of our population have proven they have the fabric to be successful.

[Speaker 1] (23:50 - 23:51)
Harris Swamp Scott,

[Speaker 1] (23:51 - 23:58)
it was my honor to be part of the Marine Corps League Honor Guard paying tribute to one of your true heroes,

[Speaker 1] (24:00 - 24:01)
Captain Jennifer Harris,

[Speaker 1] (24:01 - 24:05)
and I see her memorial flag up there right now.

[Speaker 1] (24:06 - 24:16)
An Annapolis graduate commanding the rescue helicopter squadron Purple Foxes, she gave her life in Iraq hoping to save her fellow Marines.

[Speaker 1] (24:18 - 24:24)
I have told her story in many of my travels throughout this nation as to the courage of this woman Marine.

[Speaker 1] (24:26 - 24:29)
There will be no one with more courage, man or woman.

[Speaker 1] (24:30 - 24:35)
I realize this note would be more appropriate on Memorial Day,

[Speaker 1] (24:35 - 24:40)
but I could not speak in Swampscott without recognizing Captain Harris.

[Speaker 1] (24:41 - 24:43)
I will never forget that day.

[Speaker 1] (24:45 - 24:46)
As a Vietnam Marine,

[Speaker 1] (24:46 - 24:51)
I would like to share a story about my very close Swamp Scott friend,

[Speaker 1] (24:51 - 24:53)
John Lyle Champion,

[Speaker 1] (24:54 - 24:57)
from the firefighting Champion family here in Swamp Scott.

[Speaker 1] (24:58 - 25:00)
We met at Little Creek,

[Speaker 1] (25:00 - 25:02)
Virginia at the Naval Gunfire School.

[Speaker 1] (25:03 - 25:09)
We would learn how to tell ships what to fire their guns at and adjust the fire to a target.

[Speaker 1] (25:10 - 25:13)
We would be forward of service for naval gunfire.

[Speaker 1] (25:14 - 25:21)
John left UMass to join the Marines as he was dedicated to somehow serve his country.

[Speaker 1] (25:22 - 25:23)
I followed the same path,

[Speaker 1] (25:24 - 25:25)
leaving Framingham State College.

[Speaker 1] (25:27 - 25:28)
Following school in Little Creek,

[Speaker 1] (25:29 - 25:32)
we would be assigned to second Anglico in Camp Lejeune.

[Speaker 1] (25:33 - 25:38)
All Marines want to join in the fight, and a number of us volunteered to go to Vietnam.

[Speaker 1] (25:39 - 25:45)
our wishes were granted and we were assigned to jungle training in Camp Pendleton California.

[Speaker 1] (25:46 - 25:53)
We were surprised that we would first have to go to language school in Monterey California for Vietnamese.

[Speaker 1] (25:55 - 26:05)
Upon completion of the language school we were off to Vietnam and in Vietnam we were assigned to a unit in Dong Ha.

[Speaker 1] (26:06 - 26:07)
A few weeks later,

[Speaker 1] (26:07 - 26:11)
the unit we were assigned to would be leaving Vietnam.

[Speaker 1] (26:12 - 26:18)
We were provided an option to be reassigned to another unit if we wanted to stay in Vietnam.

[Speaker 1] (26:19 - 26:24)
Three of us out of about 25 new guys put in for the transfer,

[Speaker 1] (26:25 - 26:28)
and we were assigned to 1st Anglico, subunit 1.

[Speaker 1] (26:30 - 26:32)
John and I would be separated at that point.

[Speaker 1] (26:33 - 26:39)
John would stay in I Corps in the North and I would be assigned to IV Corps in the South.

[Speaker 1] (26:40 - 26:41)
Now,

[Speaker 1] (26:41 - 26:43)
55 years later,

[Speaker 1] (26:43 - 26:50)
I have a forum to give John the recognition he so justly deserved years ago.

[Speaker 1] (26:51 - 26:56)
John was going out on a mission to call in naval gunfire for a ship.

[Speaker 1] (26:56 - 26:59)
He'd be flying in a small helicopter.

[Speaker 1] (26:59 - 27:01)
As part of this mission,

[Speaker 1] (27:02 - 27:13)
a Marine not part of our unit begged John to let him join him as this Marine was a clerk and wanted to see some action.

[Speaker 1] (27:14 - 27:16)
John agreed to take him along.

[Speaker 1] (27:17 - 27:19)
On the way to the target area,

[Speaker 1] (27:19 - 27:22)
the chopper was shot down over water.

[Speaker 1] (27:24 - 27:28)
John released his harness and began to swim to shore.

[Speaker 1] (27:29 - 27:31)
He saw the pilot swimming,

[Speaker 1] (27:31 - 27:33)
but did not see the extra Marine.

[Speaker 1] (27:35 - 27:38)
Now, keeping in mind, they're getting shot at,

[Speaker 1] (27:39 - 27:40)
and they're in the water.

[Speaker 1] (27:41 - 27:45)
John turned around and swam back to the chopper.

[Speaker 1] (27:45 - 27:50)
He found the other Marine trapped as he did not know how to undo the harness.

[Speaker 1] (27:50 - 27:52)
As the chopper was going down,

[Speaker 1] (27:52 - 27:54)
John released the Marine.

[Speaker 1] (27:55 - 27:56)
and help bring him to shore.

[Speaker 1] (27:58 - 27:59)
Once on shore,

[Speaker 1] (27:59 - 28:03)
the army pilot gave John his pistol and said, here,

[Speaker 1] (28:03 - 28:05)
Marines are better shots than the army.

[Speaker 1] (28:06 - 28:17)
The pilot explained he could not get off an SOS, so they would have to wait until the headquarters figured out they should have been back and then they would send out a rescue helicopter.

[Speaker 1] (28:19 - 28:25)
So they waited either to be captured and taken prisoner or be rescued by the chopper.

[Speaker 1] (28:26 - 28:26)
Fortunately,

[Speaker 1] (28:27 - 28:32)
they were rescued and the army pilot submitted John's name for a medal for heroism.

[Speaker 1] (28:33 - 28:44)
When the letter was received by our colonel, it was denied as it was submitted by an army officer and as such could not be recognized.

[Speaker 1] (28:45 - 28:46)
by the Marine Corps.

[Speaker 1] (28:48 - 28:51)
This official rule never made sense to me.

[Speaker 1] (28:51 - 28:53)
Our unit,

[Speaker 1] (28:53 - 28:54)
Anglico,

[Speaker 1] (28:54 - 29:02)
is designated to provide air and naval gunfire support for all units, both American and foreign,

[Speaker 1] (29:02 - 29:03)
but not Marines.

[Speaker 1] (29:04 - 29:09)
Marines have their own people to call in naval gunfire or air support.

[Speaker 1] (29:10 - 29:13)
I told this story to a retired two-star general,

[Speaker 1] (29:13 - 29:14)
and he said,

[Speaker 1] (29:14 - 29:15)
yes, that is the rule.

[Speaker 1] (29:17 - 29:27)
So John was denied recognition of the Bronze Star or Silver Star. I'm not sure which of the medals he was submitted for because of a foolish, to me,

[Speaker 1] (29:27 - 29:28)
a foolish rule.

[Speaker 1] (29:28 - 29:30)
And just to add on,

[Speaker 1] (29:30 - 29:34)
John came home on...

[Speaker 1] (29:35 - 29:37)
August 19th, I believe,

[Speaker 1] (29:37 - 29:42)
which would be a week before I landed in San Francisco. We flew from Vietnam,

[Speaker 1] (29:42 - 29:44)
landed in San Francisco.

[Speaker 1] (29:44 - 29:49)
Then you're going to take a bus over to Treasure Island to be separated or discharged from the...

[Speaker 1] (29:52 - 29:55)
John arrived in San Francisco a week before I did,

[Speaker 1] (29:55 - 30:01)
and while he's waiting for that bus to go over to Treasure Island, he has his sea bag.

[Speaker 1] (30:02 - 30:05)
Two guys jumped him from behind and robbed him.

[Speaker 1] (30:05 - 30:10)
So welcome home to America. You've been home in America by 20 minutes.

[Speaker 1] (30:12 - 30:13)
John and I would return home,

[Speaker 1] (30:14 - 30:20)
me back to Framingham State to finish my degree and serve in the Boston school system.

[Speaker 1] (30:21 - 30:25)
John would enroll at Suffolk University and go on to become a CPA.

[Speaker 1] (30:26 - 30:40)
The third Marine who volunteered to stay in Vietnam went on to become an engineer for Antenna on nuclear submarines. The three of us were typical returning Vietnam veterans.

[Speaker 1] (30:41 - 30:49)
totally dispelling the image of the drug-crazed baby killers that the national media wish to portray us as.

[Speaker 1] (30:50 - 30:52)
To our veterans,

[Speaker 1] (30:52 - 30:53)
I salute you.

[Speaker 1] (30:54 - 30:55)
To our public,

[Speaker 1] (30:56 - 30:58)
you are fortunate to have these dedicated citizens.

[Speaker 1] (30:59 - 31:01)
Treat them with the respect and help,

[Speaker 1] (31:02 - 31:05)
and help them throughout their travels of life,

[Speaker 1] (31:05 - 31:10)
offering the great dedication, they have offered the great dedication to all of us.

[Speaker 1] (31:11 - 31:13)
God bless you.

[Speaker 1] (31:13 - 31:15)
God bless America.

[Speaker 1] (31:15 - 31:19)
At this moment, I'd like to call up my friend John Champion,

[Speaker 1] (31:20 - 31:22)
a Swampscott native,

[Speaker 1] (31:22 - 31:24)
always been very proud of John.

[Speaker 1] (31:24 - 31:26)
So John, come up for your recognition.

[Speaker 1] (31:40 - 31:42)
John finally gets his recognition as a hero,

[Speaker 1] (31:42 - 31:48)
even though the Marine Corps would not go along with that. So today you get honored by your community.

[Speaker 1] (31:48 - 31:49)
Thank you very much, John.

[Speaker 1] (31:49 - 31:50)
And thank you all.

[Speaker 2] (32:05 - 32:16)
I think I'll just leave it with one more time if we could say a round of give a round of applause for Warren Griffin for that incredible sharing that with us thank you so much for allowing us to be here as you shared that and Mr.

[Speaker 2] (32:16 - 32:20)
Champion thank you for being here and thank you for your service and

[Speaker 2] (32:25 - 32:30)
don't leave because I'm sure people have questions but thank you so much

[Speaker 2] (32:32 - 32:41)
At this time I'd like to ask our veterans to rise and call forward Aaron Delisio and the children from Swampscott Elementary School to give gifts thanking them for their service.

[Speaker 2] (34:27 - 34:29)
You and the children of Swampscott Elementary School do this, and it's really,

[Speaker 2] (34:29 - 34:34)
it's such a highlight of the program to say thank you to the veterans in the community, but if you look at these, these are really nice,

[Speaker 2] (34:34 - 34:35)
these are really well done.

[Speaker 2] (34:35 - 34:38)
One more time, not only thank you to the veterans in the community,

[Speaker 2] (34:38 - 34:43)
but one more time to the children of Swampscott Elementary School, not only to be out here and do this, but in the cold,

[Speaker 2] (34:43 - 34:44)
thank you so much for what you do,

[Speaker 2] (34:45 - 34:45)
and

[Speaker 2] (34:48 - 34:51)
thank you to our veterans, and please be seated,

[Speaker 2] (34:51 - 34:53)
but we thank you for your service.

[Speaker 2] (35:02 - 35:07)
And I'd now like to call forward Adrian Laporte with Freedom Isn't Free.

[Speaker 3] (35:19 - 35:22)
I watched the flag pass by one day.

[Speaker 3] (35:22 - 35:24)
It fluttered in the breeze.

[Speaker 3] (35:24 - 35:26)
A young Marine saluted it,

[Speaker 3] (35:26 - 35:27)
and then he stood at ease.

[Speaker 3] (35:29 - 35:29)
I looked at him in uniform,

[Speaker 3] (35:30 - 35:31)
so young, so tall,

[Speaker 3] (35:32 - 35:33)
so proud,

[Speaker 3] (35:33 - 35:36)
with hair cut square and eyes alert,

[Speaker 3] (35:36 - 35:37)
he'd stand out in any crowd.

[Speaker 3] (35:38 - 35:42)
I thought, how many men like him had fallen through the years?

[Speaker 3] (35:42 - 35:44)
How many died on foreign soil?

[Speaker 3] (35:44 - 35:45)
How many mothers'

[Speaker 3] (35:45 - 35:46)
tears?

[Speaker 3] (35:46 - 35:47)
How many pilots'

[Speaker 3] (35:48 - 35:49)
planes shot down?

[Speaker 3] (35:49 - 35:50)
How many died at sea?

[Speaker 3] (35:51 - 35:53)
How many fathers or soldiers'

[Speaker 3] (35:53 - 35:54)
graves?

[Speaker 3] (35:54 - 35:57)
No, freedom is not free.

[Speaker 3] (35:57 - 36:01)
I heard the sound of taps one night when everything was still.

[Speaker 3] (36:02 - 36:05)
I listened to the bugle play and felt a sudden chill.

[Speaker 3] (36:06 - 36:14)
I wondered just how many times that taps had meant amen when a flag had draped the coffin of a brother or a friend.

[Speaker 3] (36:15 - 36:20)
I thought of all the children of all the mothers and the wives of fathers.

[Speaker 3] (36:19 - 36:20)
fathers, sons,

[Speaker 3] (36:21 - 36:23)
and husbands with interrupted lives.

[Speaker 3] (36:23 - 36:27)
I thought about a graveyard at the bottom of the sea,

[Speaker 3] (36:27 - 36:29)
of unmarked graves in Arlington.

[Speaker 3] (36:30 - 36:30)
No,

[Speaker 3] (36:30 - 36:32)
freedom is not free.

[Speaker 3] (36:32 - 36:33)
Thank you.

[Speaker 2] (36:45 - 36:47)
And I'd now like to call forward once again

[Speaker 2] (36:48 - 36:52)
Fire Department Chaplain Reverend Mark Templeman with the closing prayer.

[Speaker 5] (36:57 - 37:01)
Let us go forth from this place in peace,

[Speaker 5] (37:01 - 37:05)
with gratitude and thanksgiving for our veterans,

[Speaker 5] (37:07 - 37:09)
always keeping them, their service in mind,

[Speaker 5] (37:09 - 37:16)
and elevating our ideals of service and justice and how we might be instruments.

[Speaker 5] (37:17 - 37:22)
Francis was in our day and in our time of peace.

[Speaker 5] (37:22 - 37:32)
God bless you and ask that your blessing may be upon them and all who have served this day and all their days.

[Speaker 6] (37:52 - 37:53)
The sad

[Speaker 2] (38:32 - 38:34)
Just an incredible singer. Thank you so much for everything,

[Speaker 2] (38:34 - 38:38)
although just really lending this every year to us. Thank you so much. Please be seated.

[Speaker 2] (38:45 - 38:53)
So I was reminded by somebody just a few minutes ago as I was shivering next to Warren who's not even wearing a jacket, that

[Speaker 2] (38:55 - 38:56)
it's important to remember

[Speaker 2] (38:58 - 39:03)
Those service members today that are in places in harm's way that aren't comfortable either.

[Speaker 2] (39:03 - 39:14)
There are many people right now in places much colder than this, much more dangerous than this, and that's who we honor today and that's why I'm proud to be here today in the town of Swampscott. I think we do a great job and the community comes together,

[Speaker 2] (39:14 - 39:16)
especially the children.

[Speaker 2] (39:16 - 39:19)
I want to say thank you for all the residents for being here today to honor our veterans.

[Speaker 2] (39:24 - 39:25)
And as is our tradition,

[Speaker 2] (39:26 - 39:29)
the VFW Post will have 40 has invited everybody back for a coalition.

[Speaker 2] (39:30 - 39:33)
I also want to point out from the warmth of your car,

[Speaker 2] (39:33 - 39:39)
please check out on Monument Ave and on Humphrey Street all the hero markers that are up.

[Speaker 2] (39:39 - 39:44)
We're really lucky to have them, and I want to thank the DPW, the members of the select board.

[Speaker 1] (39:59 - 40:00)
Ray Harris is here,

[Speaker 1] (40:00 - 40:04)
Gold Star father of Jennifer Harris, and Jackie Raymond,

[Speaker 1] (40:04 - 40:07)
Gold Star mom of Specialist Jared Raymond are here,

[Speaker 1] (40:07 - 40:12)
so thank them for being here and thank them for thank you for keeping in their prayers all year long.

[Speaker 1] (40:15 - 40:17)
That concludes our program.

[Speaker 1] (40:17 - 40:18)
Thank you.