“Today, we remember. Today, we reflect. And today, we say thank you.”

That’s how Mayor Peyton Jamison capped his welcoming remarks at Milton’s Memorial Day ceremony on Monday morning – setting the tone for a solemn and, at the same time, grateful holiday honoring U.S. troops who are no longer with us. A few hundred people attended, including several dozen veterans.

The event began under looming gray skies that eventually gave way to bright sunshine lighting up memorial markers along Heritage Walk behind the Green at Crabapple Market. The creators of the Milton Veterans Memorial Markers non-profit group put up 24 such markers in their first year, 2007, by the old City Hall along Deerfield Parkway; earlier this month, about 100 volunteers installed 897 such markers in that same area as well as downtown Crabapple.

Col. James Fulks, a retired Marine and the keynote speaker, said the sight of these markers sent a “chill up my spine” when he arrived in Milton from Florida. Each one of them memorializes a hero with Milton connections who served valiantly from the Revolutionary War to more recent times.

Memorial Day offers an opportunity to remember men and women like these, as well as to remind Americans about these late troops’ values as well as “the liberties we enjoy” because of them, said Fulks. The former Marine – who served in conflicts from Vietnam through the Persian Gulf War, in addition to several other stops and duties – expressed hope the Memorial Day holiday would bring people together for a good cause and the good of the nation.

“Memorial Day unites us all under a banner of remembrance,” he said. “We are stronger together.”

MAYOR: LATE TROOPS ‘LIFTED THIS COUNTRY’

In his remarks, Mayor Jamison noted that Memorial Day’s fundamental purpose is to commemorate those who have come and gone, as well as how their selfless, courageous service helped shape the lives and liberties of their fellow Americans.

“They are often called ‘the fallen’ but make no mistake: They lifted this country to heights it could not have reached without them,” said the Mayor. “And they did it the hard way.”

Rev. Bob Grimaldi, a Navy retiree and deacon at St. Brendan the Navigator Catholic Church, gave the invocation before the Milton Public Safety Honor Guard presented “the colors” that became the focus during the Pledge of Allegiance. Members of Milton High School’s talented chorus sang the National Anthem, after which the Mayor returned to the lectern to read an official proclamation telling the story of and recognizing May 26 as Memorial Day.

Bill Lusk, co-founder of the Milton Veterans Memorial Markers (and a former City Councilmember), talked next about “the great turnout (and) great tribute,” along with the history and intent of his non-profit. To learn more about the Memorial Markers organization that and/or to register a veteran, go to https://miltonveterans.org/. 

He was followed by Nick Satriano, who is deeply involved in that group and other veterans-related activities in Milton. He’s also a retired a retired Army Colonel who, on Monday, recalled arriving for a deployment to Afghanistan and, the next day, attending an emotional ceremony featuring three Battlefield Crosses – a memorial for a late servicemember typically featuring a rifle, helmet, and boots often erected near where they passed – honoring three recently slain troops. Just such as a Battlefield Cross stood Monday between the speakers and the crowd assembled under a tent on the Green.

“It is so important … that we live honorable lives … to keep alive the memories of those” who did not make it home, like those three men, said Satriano.

The event culminated in a performance of “God Bless America” by Tom Crawford on bagpipes, taps played by a Milton High trumpeter, a benediction by Grimaldi, and the release of white doves (while Crawford played “Amazing Grace.” Afterward, many perused an Army UH1-H “Huey” helicopter that once flew in Vietnam and was set up on a nearby gravel parking lot.

Over the course of the morning, several speakers implored attendees to take time later in the day and, in fact, every day of the year to reflect, remember, and honor late American troops, as well as to encourage younger generations to do the same.

“Our responsibility does not end with ceremonies like this,” Jamison said. “We, as parents and leaders, have a sacred duty to teach our children the past so that we don’t repeat it.”