ViEWFINDER: Memorial Day In Belmont, 2011

As the newest member of a club she never wanted to join, Gold Star mother Pamela Curtis laid the wreath in Belmont Cemetery on Monday morning, Memorial Day, to honor all who gave their lives in defense of the country.

Several hundred residents watched in silence as they remembered and prayed for her son, Spc. Jonathan Curtis, who was killed in Afghanistan Nov. 1, 2010, the same day Belmont lost another of its veterans, Brian Mahoney who served in the Vietnam War.

The day's observations began with the annual parade from Cushing Square to the cemetery on Grove Street, as veterans – both walking and in cars – along with the combined High School and Middle School bands, color guards, town and state-elected officials along with the Belmont Police and Fire Departments marched with boy and girl scouts on a hot and muggy day before hundreds who lined the streets cheering.

Yet the day's purpose was starkly recognized before the graves of those who had fallen defending the country. 

Memorial Day is one of sorrow for families who are bereft, said Rabbi Jonathan Kraus of the Beth El Temple Center who led the service.

“It reminds us of the times our human family has had to resort to fighting to solve problems,” he said. “It is also a day of gratitude for those who purchased our freedom by being willing to risk their lives.”

The day we pay tribute to those who have been killed in foreign wars is also a day of promise, Kraus said.

“Those who have fallen will not be forgotten,” he said. “There will be a day to come when nations will not take up arms against each other … when families can come to places like this to put their loved ones to rest after long, happy lives.”

Commander Timothy Cooper, the commanding officer of the USS Constitution, remarked that the show of support in Belmont for fallen veterans is amazing.

As the day’s guest speaker, he said it’s not enough to go through life “just with the flow” but rather to ask simple questions that often open up a whole world.

In that spirit, Cooper asks the men and women who serve in the US Navy under him why they do it.

He said so many people visit the USS Constitution, the flagship of this country’s navy, and often tell their stories of where they served and why.

“They remember and so should we,” said Cooper. “Think about why you are here today and share the answers with your family. In honoring one person, we honor America.”