Page 8 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, MAy 29, 2026 The Sounds of Saugus By Mark E. Vogler Good morning, Saugus I wonder how many of the town’s young people – schoolage kids from the Elementary School grades all the way up to High School – know the story of Army Staff Sergeant Arthur Frederick DeFranzo, the Saugus soldier who received the Medal of Honor posthumously for sacrificing his life on the battlefield in World War II in an extraordinary display of courage and selfless service to country. Every student whoever attended Saugus Public Schools should be familiar with the Citation which led to DeFranzo’s Medal of Honor: “For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life, above and beyond the call of duty, on 10 June 1944, near Vaubadon, France. As scouts were advancing across an open field, the enemy suddenly opened fire with several machineguns and hit 1 of the men. S/Sgt. DeFranzo courageously moved out in the open to the aid of the wounded scout and was himself wounded but brought the man to safety. Refusing aid, S/Sgt. DeFranzo reentered the open field and led the advance upon the enemy. There were always at least 2 machineguns bringing unrelenting fire upon him, but S/ their lives so that we would have the freedom to do this at the cemetery every year. It’s a shame that people can’t come out for an hour to honor these heroes. People just don’t appreciate the enormous sacrifices the military has made over the years. They just take it for granted.” The low turnout was most conspicuous among the town’s young people. Other than the Saugus High School marching band, the four high school Junior ROTC units from out of town and a handful of kids marching in the parade and a few kids with their parents hanging out at Veterans Park, I didn’t observe a lot of young people. Especially in the cemetery. The irony is that more people and more kids showed up in the rain last year. In his speech at the cemetery, A MEMORIAL DAY SALUTE: Chaplain (Major) Scott McGowan, the keynote speaker at this year’s Saugus Memorial Day Ceremonies, and members of the Lynn English High School MCJROTC stood at attention as a bugler played Taps at Riverside Cemetery last Saturday. (Saugus Advocate photo by Mark E. Vogler) Sgt. DeFranzo kept going forward, firing into the enemy and 1 by 1 the enemy emplacements became silent. While advancing he was again wounded, but continued on until he was within 100 yards of the enemy position and even as he fell, he kept firing his rifle and “ADVENTURE AWAITS” is a 16x20 inch acrylic painting of a seascape with crashing wave bringing the energy of a new adventure. The painting is for and dedicated to Maureen Whitcomb, who graduated from UMass Lowell magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Science of Business Administration degree. She graduated with her son Bryce, the last of her four quadruplets to earn a bachelor’s degree from UMass Lowell. CONGRATULATIONS, Maureen! (Photo and painting courtesy of Joanie Allbee, AKA “The sketch Artist”) waving his men forward. When his company came up behind him, S/Sgt. DeFranzo, despite his many severe wounds, suddenly raised himself and once more moved forward in the lead of his men until he was again hit by enemy fire. In a final gesture of indomitable courage, he threw several grenades at the enemy machinegun position and completely destroyed the gun. In this action, S/Sgt. DeFranzo lost his life, but by bearing the brunt of the enemy fire in leading the attack, he prevented a delay in the assault which would have been of considerable benefit to the foe, and he made possible his company’s advance with a minimum of casualties. The extraordinary heroism and magnificent devotion to duty displayed by S/Sgt. DeFranzo was a great inspiration to all about him, and is in keeping with the highest traditions of the armed forces.” I wonder how many of those Saugus school kids who know DeFranzo’s story truly appreciate what he and the rest of Saugus’ fallen have done over the years. Probably very few of them actually care, judging from the low turnout for last Saturday’s Annual Memorial Day Parade and Ceremony. Saugus Veterans Council Commander Steve Castinetti was visibly upset with the turnout at the Veterans’ Lot in Riverside Cemetery after the conclusion of the ceremony. He was so upset that he asked me to call him earlier this week to express his disappointment publicly. “Every year, we’ve been able to cover every single veteran’s grave in the veterans lot before the ceremony,” Castinetti said of the ceremonial practice of a person standing at each grave and picking up the miniature American flag and holding it until the end of the ceremony. “But this year, the turnout for the ceremony in the cemetery was so bad, I don’t think we were able to cover half of the graves. And I’m really disappointed in the turnout by the residents of Saugus. If we didn’t have all of the out-oftown groups that we had this year, we probably wouldn’t have been able to cover 20 percent of the graves,” Castinetti continued. “It’s a sad commentary if we can’t honor the sacrifice of the people who gave Castinetti emphasized the significance of this most solemn of American holidays. “Memorial Day reminds us that freedom has never been free. Every cross in a military cemetery, every folded flag handed to a grieving family, every name etched into a memorial represents a life given in service to something greater than oneself,” Castinetti said. “As we reflect on 250 years of American history, we must remember that the strength of this nation has never come solely from its wealth or power. It comes from the character of its people – ordinary Americans willing to do extraordinary things in defense of liberty,” he said. “The men and women we honor today were not seeking glory. They were sons and daughters, mothers and fathers, friends and neighbors. They had dreams, families and futures. Yet, they accepted the burden of service so that others might live in peace and freedom. Their sacrifice places a responsibility on all of us.” Saugus United Parish Food Pantry The Saugus United Parish Food Pantry will be open today (Friday, May 29) from 9:30-11 a.m. at 50 Essex St. in the basement of Cliftondale CongregaTHE SOUNDS | SEE PAGE 9
9 Publizr Home