THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, MAY 28, 2021 Page 5 MEMORIAL DAY | FROM PAGE 1 gus residents who take pride in their town, the memory of DeFranzo lives on as the most celebrated example of the ultimate sacrifice paid by a Saugonian fighting for his country. DeFranzo is one of more than 3,500 Americans to have received the Medal of Honor – the highest military decoration presented by the United States government to a member of its armed forces since 1863 – and one of more than 600 who received the medal posthumously. The start of the Memorial Day Weekend tradition officially begins at 3 p.m. today (Friday, May 28) with the socalled “grave flagging.” A group of volunteers – schoolchildren, members from local Girl and Boy Scout units, retirees, town officials, veterans and anyone else who shows up – will converge on the grounds of Riverside Cemetery for the annual decoration of the graves. Graves Registration Officer Randy Briand will oversee the volunteers. Monday ceremonies set DeFranzo was one of 57 servicemen from Saugus who died in combat during World War II and will be among the town’s fallen heroes who will be remembered on Monday (May 31) during the annual Memorial Day observance set for 10 a.m. in Riverside Cemetery. “Rain or shine, we plan to have the Memorial Day ceremonies,” Saugus Veterans Council Commander Steve Castinetti said in an interview this week. “If the weather doesn’t look promising, people may want to bring a raincoat or an umbrella. We will be doing a ceremony for our deceased veterans,” Castinetti said. At 9 a.m. on Monday, there will be a smaller ceremony in front of DeFranzo Medal of Honor island near J. Pace & Son and the S/Sgt. Arthur F. DeFranzo V.F.W. Post 2346 building. For the second consecutive Memorial Day, there won’t be a parade of about 500-strong along with military vehicles, bands and floats to help mark the observance. Health concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic prompted local veterans leaders to scrap the parade again. But with Gov. Charlie Baker lifting all of the remaining COVID-19 restrictions effective tomorrow (May 29), visitors attending Monday’s Memorial Day observance won’t be required to wear masks or practice social distancing. “If people feel more comfortable doing it, then they should wear a mask. But it’s no longer required,” Castinetti said. “As far as the parade goes, I anticipate that next year it will be back – and it will be one of the biggest parades that the town has had in a long time,” he said. The guest speaker for this year’s Memorial Day ceremony will be Sgt. Major Kenneth Oswald, the Lynn English Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (JROTC) program leader. The program began in 1995 with Sgt. Major Oswald at the helm, and since that point the team has become nationally recognized for its achievements. The Lynn English JROTC team is among the best in the nation, winning three national championships in 2007, 2014 and 2017; in 2019 it was voted the number one JROTC program in its region for the third time since 2000; it was named a Navy Honor School for 20 consecutive years, and it participates in a variety of community service projects. “Sgt. Maj. Oswald is going to be retiring in June, so this will be his last presentation for Saugus,” Castinetti said. “The Lynn English ROTC has been the official color guards for the Saugus Veterans Council for more than 10 years, and we’re going to miss him [Oswald],”' he said. Understanding the meaning of Memorial Day Board of Selectmen ViceChair Corinne Riley, who has been active in veterans events throughout town, said she looks forward to a bigger crowd at this year’s Memorial Day ceremony. “I am very glad that we will be having a ceremony this year at the graves of the fallen and be together to acknowledge the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country,” Riley said. “As the restrictions continue to be lifted, I look forward for us to get together in person again to acknowledge these holidays so we never lose the importance of taking just a few moments out of our lives to remember why we have the freedoms we have...it has been proven that freedoms can be taken away at any time, and if it weren’t for our military protecting our values for hundreds of years, our country could easily have a different Gerry D’Ambrosio Attorney-at-Law Is Your Estate in Order? Do you have an update Will, Health Care Proxy or Power of Attorney? 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