To the strains of “Amazing Grace,” a slideshow presentation featuring some local veterans drew heartfelt reactions from the more than 200 people in the Gloucester High auditorium Saturday at 9 a.m. for Gloucester’s annual Veterans Day ceremony.
State Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr, R-Gloucester, also drew inspiration from those images as he and others honored veterans for their service in a ceremony organized by Cape Ann Veterans Services and hosted by Veterans Services Director and Army veteran Vionette “Vee” Chipperini.
Veterans, Gold Star families, active-duty members of the armed services including the Coast Guard, city officials, police officers, firefighters, students and members of the community listened to remarks by Mayor Greg Verga and Navy veteran Sandra Davis, past commander of the Capt. Lester S. Wass American Legion Post 3 and the department state commander of the American Legion of Massachusetts.
Tarr said the slideshow with local veterans reminded him that “military service is not something that is performed by strangers … military service is performed by our friends and our family members and our neighbors, and as I was watching the slides I could hear folks wanting to clap for those they recognized. I know there might have been some photos that made people laugh just a little bit. And there were some photos, particularly of those who have departed, that brought a tear to our eyes. That slideshow reminded us of the humanity of the people that we honor today.”
Tarr, who brought the regards of friend and colleague state Rep. Ann-Margaret Ferrante, D-Gloucester, who could not be there, spoke of the state’s efforts to support veterans, including breaking ground in August for a new Holyoke Veterans Home, and in Chelsea this fall, the opening of a new community living center for at least 154 veterans.
“Why? Because like those slides showed, these are our neighbors, our family, our friends,” Tarr said.
While serving in the Navy, Davis was stationed at the naval submarine support facility in Groton, Connecticut, specializing in the repair and maintenance of communication and navigation equipment on fast-attack nuclear submarines, Chipperini said. After Davis was honorably discharged, she began working at Varian Ion Implant Systems in Gloucester, which led her to moving to the island.
She began working with the veteran community and has been an integral part of Post 3’s holiday meals programs.
Davis declined to spin “sea stories” of an old salty sailor, saying “today is not about me. It’s about all the veterans.”
She instead spoke of veterans in the community, starting from 1775 when the HMS Falcon entered Gloucester Harbor to capture an American schooner intentionally grounded on Five Pound Island in the Inner Harbor.
“But the people of Gloucester were having none of that,” Davis said. “They raised the alarm, mustered militia companies led by Joseph Foster and Bradbury Sanders.” They repelled the British forces in what became known as the Battle of Gloucester.
“So, why do I mention these two individuals today? Ah, think about those last things for a minute. There are still a few lifelong Sanders and Fosters around town. I wonder if there could be a connection. That would be quite a legacy that some of our earliest veterans have given to this city. I’ll leave it to you to investigate that mystery.”
She spoke of A. Piatt Andrew’s spirit of service after coming home from World War I by chartering, with a few of his friends, the American Legion Post 3 104 years ago. He also served in the U.S. House of Representatives. He founded and was director of the American Ambulance Field Service during World War I.
Davis said she chose to highlight the contributions of Andrew as a lifelong bachelor with no known descendants, “who lived outside of the acceptable norms for his time, which today is LGBTQ+. A. Piatt Andrew is so much more than just a name on a bridge.”
Davis also honored the contributions of three contemporary local veterans, obscuring their names because she had not asked permission to do so. The third veteran she spoke of was a Korean War veteran who raised a family on Portuguese Hill and who was the former 5th Essex state representative for 14 years.
He was, Davis said, “one of the strongest community advocates I have met; a tireless volunteer and all-around genuinely great person with the spirit of public service in his DNA that has been passed on to his future generations. I want to thank the family for sharing him with us.”
She was referring to the late state Rep. Tony Verga, who died in March at age 87, as his son, the mayor, sat on stage.
To start the ceremony, Chipperini gave a brief history of how Veterans Day came about as Armistice Day to mark the end of hostilities in World War I, the war to end all wars, “on the 11th hour, on the 11th day, of the 11th month in 1918.
“Today, we the community of Gloucester gather together to thank and show our support to our veterans and our active-duty members who call our beloved community home,” said Chipperini, before Boy Scout Troop 60 led the Pledge of Allegiance.
“We gather each year on Veterans Day to recognize the sacrifice and service of veterans across the nation and right here in Gloucester,” said Verga. “The men and women of our military proudly answer the call and service to defend our freedoms and our rights.”
Edmund Veator, chaplain for the Amvets Post 32 led the ceremony in an opening prayer. Navy Junior ROTC Cadet and Gloucester High student Madison Guernsey read the Veterans Day Proclamation from Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey.
O’Maley Innovation Middle School seventh grader Alessandro Schoc gave a stirring rendition of the national anthem and the veterans’version of the Leonard Cohen song “Hallelujah.”
American Legion Post 3 Chaplain Paul Krueger stood in for Rabbi David Kudan of Temple Ahavat Achim for a closing benediction.
Rounding out the ceremony was Gloucester High freshman Jude Worthley, the son of Councilor at-Large Jeff Worthley, and Jim Dalpiaz of the Gloucester Lodge of Elks, who shared their rendition of “taps,” with Dalpiaz playing hidden off stage while echoing Worthley.
After the ceremony at the high school, there was a short parade to American Legion Square and a ceremony at the Joan D’ Arc Monument followed by a luncheon at the Legion post. The day also included a brief ceremony at the new Vietnam Memorial at Stage Fort Park.