THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, NOVEmbEr 11, 2022 Page 15 The Sounds of Saugus By Mark E. Vogler Good Morning, Saugus! And Happy Veterans Day to all of the men and women who have served in this nation’s Armed Forces and those who continue to serve in the military. Unlike Memorial Day – which honors those who sacrificed their lives in the line of duty – this national holiday celebrates all veterans. While the focus is on the living veterans, family and friends still go to the gravesites of those veterans who were killed in action or passed away from non-combat-related causes. Veterans Day ceremonies get underway at 11 a.m. at Veterans Park (245 Winter St.). The Saugus Veterans Council will be in charge of the ceremonies honoring veterans past and present for their military service to the country. The keynote speaker for this year’s ceremony is Robert “Boots” Chouinard, a 99-yearold Army veteran from Salisbury who served with the 128th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Gun Battalion in World War II. “He landed in Normandy, on Omaha Beach in France five days after D-Day,” Saugus Veterans Council Commander Steve Castinetti said this week. Chouinard is expected to talk about his experiences fighting with other soldiers in Germany and other European countries during the war. Castinetti, a retired U.S. Navy commander, said this year’s ceremony will be simple. Saugus Veterans Services Officer Mike Saunders will read the governor’s proclamation. The Saugus High School Band will perform. And the Revere High School Junior ROTC, accompanied by JROT Instructor Deborah Bowker, of Saugus, will be the color guards. The ceremonies begin at 11 a.m. But for those folks who get there early, M&T Bank of Route 1 in Saugus will be serving coffee at 10 a.m. in Veterans Park. The timing of Veterans Day is symbolic. U.S. soldiers celebrated the armistice ending World War I during the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918. Veterans Day Field of Flags As part of the local Veterans Day observance, the Parson Roby Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution again sponsored a Veterans Day Field of Flags Forum to discuss future of closed school buildings Town Manager Scott C. Crabtree and the Board of Selectmen invite town residents to attend a public forum to discuss and provide input for potential future uses of closed school buildings and property. The public forum will be held on Nov. 14 at 6 p.m. in the upstairs auditorium at the Saugus Town Hall (298 Central St., Saugus). “We hope residents will join us on Monday, November 14th to share and provide input on the use of these important community facilities and properties,” Town Manager Crabtree said in a press release issued this week. “It’s important that we receive feedback from many stakeholders in order to create the best possible plan moving forward with input from Town officials and the community,” he said. School Committee members voted earlier this year to turn over the vacant Douglas Waybright Elementary School, the Lynnhurst Elementary School and the Oaklandvale Elementary School to the Town of Saugus. The on the front lawn of Saugus Town Hall with a mission to honor all veterans, living or deceased, including those currently serving. Earlier this week, as I checked out the “Field of Flags,” I noticed one flag placed in the ground honoring my late twin brother – Lance A. Vogler, a U.S. Air Force sergeant who served in Vietnam and other parts of Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War. Lance died in a motorcycle accident on Memorial Day in 1978. He could have avoided going into harm’s way in Vietnam, as his draft lottery number was 362. But Lance volunteered to serve in Vietnam. After surviving dangerous duty, he returned home a few years later, only to become a Memorial Day traffic fatality statistic. Had Lance still been alive, he would be among the veterans being honored today. For me to read my brother’s name in the “Field of Flags,” even though he’s from Southeastern Massachusetts, was a moving experience. And I’d like to give a giant “Shout Out” for the person or people responsible for giving my brother a posthumous “Shout Out” for his service to his country. Roby School Administration Building was turned over to the town late last year. These are four buildings and adjoining land that provide a number of potential options for future use. This is an opportunity for town residents and representatives of various organizations to offer recommendations and ideas to town officials on how the properties should be used. Stay tuned. One-day holiday trash delay The Town of Saugus announces that the trash and recycling collection will run on a one-day delay tomorrow (Saturday, Nov. 12). There will be no collection today (Friday, Nov. 11), due to the holiday. Services will resume on a one-day delay on Saturday. The compost site will be open normal hours on Saturday, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Town of Saugus would like to thank everyone for their cooperation. Please contact Director of Solid Waste/ Recycling Scott Brazis at 781231-4036 with any questions. Saugus High School presents “SELFIE” The Saugus High School Drama Club will be staging “SELFIE” by Bradley Hayward and directed by Alisha Dolan, from Nov. 17 to 19 at 7 p.m. at the Saugus High School Black Box Theatre. Here’s the story line for the play: It’s senior year and problems are mounting for a group of high school students as they prepare for the future. Facing bullies, parents, pressure, sickness and their own self-judgment, the characters search for ways to stand out. As they document their year, one click at a time, they come to realize life is not about what other people see – it’s about the pictures they have of themselves. Tickets for the show will be sold at the door for all three performances: $8 for students and seniors, $10 for adults. Seating is Limited. For more information please contact Alisha Dolan of Performing Arts at adolan@saugus. k12.ma.us A “Shout Out” to a “Pumpkin Patch” couple Eugene Decareau offered this week’s “Shout Out” for the couple he considers to be the driving organizational force behind this year’s “Pumpkin Patch” on the lawn outside First Congregational Church in Saugus Center. “I would like to do a ‘Shout Out’ for Carl and Karen Spencer for doing a magnificent job on the Pumpkin Patch again this year. It was one of the best – if not the best – we’ve ever had. They spent countless hours working on the Pumpkin Patch, both mornings and nights and weekends. They deserve a great round of applause. They did a magnificent job and we appreciate everything they did.” Want to “Shout Out” a fellow Saugonian? This is an opportunity for our paper’s readers to single out – in a brief mention – remarkable acts or achievements by Saugus residents or an act of kindness or a nice gesture. Just send an email (mvoge@comcast.net) with a mention in the subject line of “An Extra Shout Out.” No more than a paragraph; anything longer might lend itself to a story and/or a photo. Setting the record straight Christopher P. Riley showed up in the roll call vote posted on the Town of Saugus website as having voted in favor of a motion to postpone indefinitely the nonbinding resolution that opposes farther expansion of WIN Waste Innovation’s ash landfill near its trash-to-energy incinerator on Route 107. But a review of the proceedings captured on SaugusTV shows it’s clear that Riley actually voted against the motion to indefinitely postpone Article 7. “Myself, I won’t support an THE SOUNDS | SEE PAGE 17 —Cont est— CONTEST SKETCH OF THE WEEK GUESS WHO GOT SKETCHED? If you know the right answer, you might win the contest. In this week’s edition, we continue our weekly feature where a local artist sketches people, places and things in Saugus. Got an idea who’s being sketched this week? If you do, please email me at mvoge@comcast.net or leave a phone message at 978 683-7773. Anyone who identifies the Saugonian sketched in this week’s paper between now and Tuesday at Noon qualifies to have their name put in a green Boston Red Sox hat with a chance to be selected as the winner of a $10 gift certificate, compliments of Hammersmith Family Restaurant, 330 Central Street in Saugus. But you have to enter to win! Look for the winner and identification in next week’s “The Sounds of Saugus.” Please leave your mailing address in case you are a winner. (Courtesy illustration to The Saugus Advocate by a Saugonian who goes by the name of “The Sketch Artist”)
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