HAVERHILL — The city was well-prepared to remember: Every fallen soldier’s grave has been marked by wavering shades of red, white and blue. Photographs of their faces wave from the street poles throughout downtown.
Volunteers lined sidewalks, fields, and cemeteries with dedications to honor and mourn Haverhill’s fallen soldiers, continuing a tradition of recognizing the city’s strong military presence.
The duties were all done as Memorial Day approached, thanks to veterans’ organizations who joined forces throughout the month, placing thousands of flags at the gravesites of Haverhill’s greatest.
Leading the charge were AMVETS Post 147 and American Legion Post 4, which divided the city’s 13 cemeteries among the veterans organizations and other participants. Their efforts ensured every corner of the city’s resting places displayed a symbol of gratitude; a tradition for the past 30 years.
Primrose Street’s AMVETS post carried out its effort Friday, focusing on Greenwood Cemetery and Lithuanian Cemetery in Bradford. According to Post Commander Keith Gopsill, the team placed about 250 flags with the help of several volunteers.
Other folks had previously gone through in flagging the graves to show their own respect to the veterans, Gopsill said, as his crew made sure those flags were straightened and secured.
Gopsill also spent his Saturday morning weeding and cleaning the Korean War Memorial in G.A.R. Park, also placing flags there as well as wreaths across many other memorials.
Meanwhile, the American Legion Post on North Main Street hosted a two-week effort of grave-flagging for veterans who rest in St. Joseph’s, St. Patrick’s, and Walnut cemeteries. Their mission took place the weekend prior, but the group also distributed flags to Boy Scouts Troops 5 and 68 on Saturday.
The troops covered Linwood, Elmwood, St. James and the Lithuanian cemeteries again, according to Post Commander Chris Manning.
He said the American Legion placed about 3,400 flags and the Boy Scouts were responsible for an additional 2,400. In total, Manning said, nearly 8,000 flags were planted citywide.
There were many volunteers from Pentucket Bank who participated in the effort as well.
In the midst of the flagging, tributes stretched to City Hall on Thursday, where the Hometown Heroes committee hosted a ceremony to honor military first responders and service members.
The gathering drew around 100 attendees, filling the auditorium with city officials, police officers, and families of the honored.
“We read each name out loud and that is something really special to the families,” said Jennifer Matthews, co-chair of the Hometown Heroes committee. “You don’t just hear their names. If you are driving or walking downtown, you see their faces. You see their picture and see their name. It’s a visual reminder to everybody that a lot of people in our community have served at some point in time.”
The committee, with help from the Department of Public Works, helped raise nearly 100 banners throughout Haverhill, she said. Each one features the name and photo of a local veteran who gave their life in service.
Thursday’s ceremony included remarks by Mayor Melinda Barrett, state Reps. Andy Vargas and Ryan Hamilton, and City Councilor Ralph Basiliere, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, who was a keynote speaker.
With flags standing firm in the soil and banners waving from light posts, Haverhill readied itself for the Memorial Day parade, which begins at 10:45 a.m. Monday at the Haverhill Firefighting Museum, 75 Kenoza Ave.