THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FRIDAy, MAy 23, 2025 Page 7 We pay tribute and honor the memory of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. The Sounds of Saugus By Mark E. Vogler Good morning, Saugus First things first. If you are a patriotic person who loves Saugus and values the personal sacrifi ces made by men and women who gave their lives in defense of this nation, remember those fallen heroes today and reflect on the sacrifices they made defending America. If you have time today (Friday, May 23) at around 3 p.m., join Saugus graves offi cer Randy Brian in fl agging all of the veterans graves at Riverside Cemetery. Plan to meet Randy and the other volunteers at the Veterans Lot at the cemetery. If you don’t know where that is, just look for the crowd of Boy Scout, Girl Scout and Little League and Softball League volunteers and High School students. And defi nitely if you are in Saugus tomorrow on a weekend getaway, make a point to join a host of Saugus living veterans, families of veterans or just plain patriotic Saugus folks for the town’s Annual Memorial Day Parade, which is scheduled to begin tomorrow (Saturday, May 24) at 10 a.m., leaving the parking lot at Anna Parker Playground, on Essex Street, headed to Cliftondale Square then down on Lincoln Avenue, turning left onto Central Street and then making a right onto Winter Street and into Riverside Cemetery, following the crowd all the way to the Veterans Lot. Saugus Veterans Council Commander Steve Castinetti wanted me to mention in this week’s column that a recent banner at the corner of Hamilton and Central Streets on the Saugus Town Hall lawn had the curbside by 7 a.m. the day after their normally scheduled collection day. The Town of Saugus would like to thank everyone for their cooperation. Please contact Solid Waste/ Recycling Coordinator Scott A. Brazis at 781-231-4036 with any questions. A VISION FROM FLANDERS FIELDS: in remembrance of Memorial Day for those who gave the ultimate sacrifi ce in service to country. (Courtesy photo of 16 by 20 inch Cotton Canvas Acrylic painting by Joanie Allbee) wrong date – May 25 (Sunday), which was in error. If you don’t plan on walking in the parade, a good spot to watch the parade is along Central and Winter Streets. It’s a short walking distance into the cemetery. The fallen heroes of Saugus Some folks confuse the purpose of Memorial Day with Veterans Day (Nov. 11), two similar patriotic holidays. Memorial Day, which was once known as “Decoration Day” — honoring the Civil War fallen heroes — is to honor those who died serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. Veterans Day, which commemorates the end of World War I, is meant to honor all living veterans, retired or still serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. This time of year, I like to mention the war dead totals I’ve compiled over the years by counting stars for each of the wars from World War I through the Iraq War. Saugus by the numbers: Based on a count of the stars on local monuments, here are the numbers of Saugus servicemen who were killed while serving their country: • World War I – 14 • World War II – 57 • Korean War – 2 • Vietnam War – 3 • Iraq War – 1 Saugus in the Civil War: Killed in action aren’t noted. But on the large Civil War Monument inside the large rotary – a keystone-shaped roundabout – two plaques on the right and left sides of the memorial list the names of 163 Saugus residents who served in the war. One-day holiday trash delay The Town of Saugus announces that trash and recycling collection will run on a one-day delay for the Memorial Day holiday. Trash and recycling will not be collected on Monday, May 26, due to the holiday. Collection will resume on a one-day delay on Tuesday, May 27. Residents are kindly asked to leave their trash and recycling What Memorial Day means to me I usually get annoyed when people wish me a “Happy Memorial Day Weekend.” I realize that it’s regarded as one of the most popular holidays of the year, where there are outdoor family outings, gatherings of friends, cookouts, parades and fun things people do to enjoy the unoffi cial start of summer. Passive sports fans like to tune in on their television sets for the Indy 500, baseball games, playoff basketball and hockey. Golf. You name it. For the culturally inclined, it might be a time to go to an outdoor concert or an art gallery. For people who are into physical fi tness, there are marathons and road races and some walking or water sports. Sure, I’ve got a lot of fond memories of my family relaxing on Memorial Day, while growing up in Swansea, a small town of around 14,000 people in Southeastern Massachusetts. There would be a cookout. As a Boy Scout or member on a Minor League baseball team in the town’s Little League for kids, there were parades to march in. But it was ingrained in me from an early age that besides doing something fun on the holiday (which actually became a holiday in 1971), THE SOUNDS | SEE PAGE 8 100 Salem Turnpike, Saugus, MA 01906 WINWASTESAUGUS.COM
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