Memorial Day ceremonies took place on the Westford Town Common this past Sunday.  It was a glorious day with sunshine and a cool breeze.  Many Westford Republican Town Committee members participated along with their children, reading the Honor Roll, famous speeches, handing out flags and laying flowers at the boots of soldiers.  The ceremony included new additions, such as the Westford Fire Department’s Pipe and Drum Corps and the Missing Man table.  It is a well-choreographed and moving program, perfected over the years by volunteers and veterans, Kurt & Cindy Meklenburg and Paul Murray, formally conveying honor and respect for Westford’s fallen service men and women.

As a community, Westford has done well to instill in its citizenry the meaning of Memorial Day and the importance of its celebration, lest we forget.  As the Honor Roll was read, the blare of a radio could be heard approaching from Boston Road.  When the teens saw the gathering, the radio went off and they moved silently on their way.  During the speeches, motorcyclists could be heard on Depot Street.  As soon as the Red, White and Blue was visible to them, the pipes quieted as they passed.  Respect is taught, earned and reciprocated.

Outside the Westford community, there is a disturbing trend where the freedoms secured by the nation’s soldiers are taken for granted and the meaning of Memorial Day is being forgotten.  It begins with the President’s choice to take his family on a mini-vacation to Chicago and forgo the traditional laying of a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery.  It appears the President has forgotten the symbolism of this important ceremony.  In his New Mexico speech, he says, "On this Memorial Day, as our nation honors its unbroken line of fallen heroes--and I see many of them in the audience here today--our sense of patriotism is particularly strong." It was another demonstration of his misunderstanding of what this day is all about and who the Nation gathers to honor and why.

Locally, the attitude of entitlement continued when candidate for State Senate, Chris Doherty (D), entered the parade to shake hands with participants, not once but twice.  In an appalling display of ignorance for the solemnity of the occasion, the moment was seized as a campaign opportunity.  His telling participants, "good job", compounded the insult.  Obviously, the sacrifices made by American service men and women and their families to safeguard constitutional rights held no significance for him.  Doherty did not understand that Westford gathered to pay tribute to those who died in service for our Nation.

The Westford community is truly appreciative and proud of its heroes, their sacrifices, the families that raised them and the rights enjoyed by all.  The right to elect representatives will take place in November and there is no better way to honor Westford’s heroes than exercising the right to vote.  Remember and elect a State Senator who understands the essence of the community’s enduring commitment to its service men and women – lest we forget.