As temperatures hovered a little above freezing on Veterans Day, about 30 people gathered under gray skies on the Common to honor all those who had served in this nation’s armed forces. They stood at the southwest corner of the Common, near the World War I flagpole and memorial.
When the town clock struck 11, retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Jon Schoenberg called, “Present arms.” A dozen veterans—some in uniform, some in civilian clothes—stood at attention, facing the flag and memorial.
After the clock ceased tolling, retired U.S. Army Col. Duane Barber spoke very briefly. The nation’s first veterans, he said, were the minutemen and militia members who left their homes to go to Boston and stand against the British troops in 1775. Today, Barber said, there are 191 veterans living in Harvard. They, and all those who served before them, “have enabled us to enjoy the freedoms that we have today.”
Retired U.S. Army Col. Carl Sciple then laid a wreath at the memorial, which is dedicated to “Those of Harvard who loyally served their country” and in memory of Pvt. Edward Enoch Thomas, who died in July 1918, just four months before the armistice that ended World War I.
Bugler Benjamin Evanowski played taps nearby, and Maria Clara Dos Santos played the “echo” taps, standing at a distance and facing away from the spectators. Both are students at the Immaculate Heart of Mary School in Still River.
HES assembly honors vets
Several days earlier, on Friday, Nov. 7, all the children at Hildreth Elementary School—from pre-kindergarten to fifth grade—had received an introduction to Veterans Day and its meaning. Grade by grade, the children trooped into the gym and sat down on the floor. Attending the ceremony were Veterans Services Agent Mike Detillion and veterans Steve Cronin, Nancy Cronin, and Steve Colwell.
Assistant Principal Hilary Sturgis explained that the focus of Veterans Day is on gratitude. Then four Girl Scouts carried in the flag and everyone stood for the Pledge of Allegiance. Later, fourth-graders read poems of gratitude directed to veterans.
Students saw a brief film explaining that the armistice ending World War I was signed at 11 a.m. on Nov. 11, 1918. The following year, President Woodrow Wilson declared the date should be known as Armistice Day. President Franklin Roosevelt later made Armistice Day a national holiday. And in 1954, shortly after World War II, President Dwight Eisenhower changed the holiday’s name to Veterans Day, to honor those who served in all wars.
Sgt. Thomas Stevens, who is still in the Army National Guard, gave a short speech, starting with a callout to his sons, Liam and Andrew, among the students. Stevens urged the children to “have the courage to do what is right” and “be a friend to everyone.”
The assembly ended with a recording of Mr. Snell’s second-grade class singing two verses of “America the Beautiful.” As students filed out of the gym, many came past to say “Thank you” and shake hands with the veterans.
