City Remembers Veterans' Sacrifices

By Tammy Daniels
03:14PM / Monday, November 12, 2007

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Naomi Parsons, 7, passes out flags.View Slide Show

NORTH ADAMS - Veterans and residents battled a sharp, cold wind Sunday to remember the nation's servicemen and -women, past and present, on Veterans Day. It was a day to remember how ordinary men and women have continued to make extraordinary sacrifices to defend this nation.

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"The act of donning a uniform is a deeply symbolic act," said Lt. Col. Michael Hynes to the bundled-up crowd clustered around the Veterans Memorial on Route 2. "It is an act that expresses a deep and selfless commitment in the idea we call America."

Hynes, a graduate of Drury High School who enlisted in the Army in 1980, recalled the dedication and service of four particular servicemen: Sgt. 1st Class Paul Smith, Pfc. Stephen Sanford, Marine Cpl. Jason Dunham and Lt. Michael Murphy.

Smith held off an attacking force outside Baghdad, sacrificing himself to save his comrades; Sanford was shot several times while trying to recover wounded comrades, holding off snipers then doing CPR on a wounded man until he passed out from loss of blood; Murphy placed himself in peril to call for help when his patrol was discovered by the Taliban in the mountains of Afghanistan and was mortally wounded as the helicopter rescue arrived; and Dunham threw himself over a grenade released by an insurgent in Kabul, shielding his colleagues with his body.

All extraordinary acts, but not surprising to those who've worn the uniform, said Hynes, battalion commander of the 114th Signal Battalion at Fort Derick, Md. "We are awed by their strength but not surprised. We expect our comrades to be strong and hard ... this strength is truly the strength of America."

That strength transcends changes in war, policy, uniforms and equipment, he said. Rather, it's a tradition of patriotism that's felt by every veteran, "an enduring quality" that was the same 200 years ago and that will continue a hundred years from now.

"Ordinary men and women have been performing extraordinary duty ... to sacrifice for others they may never know or may not agree with. Our veterans have taken the idea of a free nation and turned it into the reality of a free nation."

Yet even as GIs consistently top public opinion polls as among the most admired people in the nation, their sacrifices are too often forgotten, said Larry Brothers, District 1 commander of the American Legion.

Lt. Col. Michael Hynes addresses the crowd.

"When Congress refuses to pass mandatory funding for VA health care, veterans are disrespected; when veterans are denied access to VA facilities, they are disrespected; when schools tell the military to keep the recruiters away, veterans are disrespected; and when a wartime Army general is called a traitor, veterans are disrespected."

Brothers said some quarter of the homeless population are veterans - nearly 90 percent of whom were honorably discharged, and 40 percent of whom served during the Vietnam War.

"Too often today's tattered citizen of the street was yesterday's toast of the town," said Brothers. "This is hardly the thanks of a grateful nation."

The American Legion has done much to support returning soldiers and veterans, he said, including providing help to families, traumatized servicemen and -women and those disabled. The organization has developed job fairs to help veterans find jobs and lobbied for better physical and mental health care. That includes the 1.2 million women who have worn the uniform, some of whom have given their lives in the war on terror. Breast and cervical cancer, domestic abuse and sexual trauma must be addressed, said Brothers.

"Know that when a soldier walks into an American Legion post, he is given the thanks of a grateful organization," said Brothers, adding that the group's leader has said, "if we put soldiers in boots and put those boots in harm's way, we must support them and their families."

He warned that as Washington wrote back in 1789, the future willingness of young men and women to serve their nation will depend on how they perceive past veterans to have been treated and appreciated.

Legion Auxiliary members.

Mayor John Barrett III was presented with a plaque for his "outstanding efforts" on behalf of local veterans. He spoke of how a picture on his office wall, depicting a family standing before the casket of "a father, a husband, a son" who died in the Gulf War brings tears to his eyes. He said there are Northern Berkshire families struggling with loss and they should not be forgotten.

"This isn't about whether we support a war or don't support a war," Barrett said. "This about [supporting] those who are there believing what they're doing is best for their country."

State Sen. Benjamin B. Downing, D-Pittsfield, also spoke, American Legion Chaplain Louis Floriani gave the prayer, Paul Hopkins of Northern Berkshire Healthcare was the master of ceremonies, the Drury High School band played patriotic songs and members Michael LaRocca and Shawn Field played taps and response, and the Company C, 181st Engineers, were the firing squad.

Ceremonies were preceded by a march down Main Street of veterans, dignitaries and Scouts, all backed up by the Drury High School marching band as a small but hardy crowd waved American flags as they passed by.

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