Wilbraham honors fallen soldiers at Memorial Day ceremony
The town of Wilbraham gathered on Sunday to remember, honor, and show respect for fallen soldiers ahead of Memorial Day.
'We have days in which we honor our veterans, we have days in which we honor other servicemen and women,' said State Senator Jake Oliveira. 'But on this day, we honor those who made their sacrifice with their own lives.'
LIST: Community events to honor fallen veterans on Memorial Day
The 2024 Wilbraham Veteran of the Year, U.S. Air Force Veteran Kathleen Kennedy, helped to lay the wreath at this year's event. She told 22News what it means as a veteran to feel the support of the community.
'It is impressive, because unfortunately, if you look around the country, you don't find it everywhere,' Kennedy said. 'And it seems every year it just gets larger and larger, it just swells. I think it says a lot about the people of Wilbraham.'
Senator Oliveira makes sure the community remembers the true meaning of Memorial Day, sharing what this day means for him through a story of a childhood friend. Oliveira's friend, Sergeant Josh Desforges, gave his life for his country in Afghanistan in 2010.
'Josh always wanted to be a Marine, even when we were growing up,' Oliveira said. 'He was a member of the Young Marines at Westover Air Force Base. He was someone that always wanted to serve his nation, and on his fourth tour of duty, he gave the ultimate sacrifice for our nation and for our freedom.'
Oliveira helped to pass recent state legislation ensuring that Gold Star families and spouses are supported for the sacrifice their loved one made.
'Prior to the passage of this law, Gold Star spouses were not eligible for the annuity benefit if they remarried after they lost their spouse,' Oliveira said. 'We closed that loophole last week in the legislature.'
Part of Sunday's ceremony also recognized the Prisoners of War, displayed with a table set for one.
WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on WWLP.com.
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