Memorial Day Weekend in Saugus

The solemn holiday honoring the nation’s fallen war heroes begins this afternoon with a flagging of veterans’ graves at the Riverside Cemetery. It continues with a parade and cemetery ceremony tomorrow

By Mark E. Vogler

Saugus, like every community throughout America, will observe Memorial Day (Monday, May 26) by pausing to honor the men and women who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces in all wars. The holiday will officially get underway today (Friday, May 23) at 3 p.m. with a flagging of veterans graves in Riverside Cemetery.

Saugus Veterans Council Commander Steve Castinetti has again issued an invitation to all Saugus citizens to volunteer their time to assist longtime grave officer Randy Briand in planting mini-American flags. “We need as many volunteers as we can get to make sure all of the veterans graves in the cemetery get a flag,” Castinetti said this week.

The volunteers should meet at the Veterans Lot on the cemetery grounds. Pizza and drinks donated by J&M Italian American Cuisine will be served after the flagging.

Memorial Day observances continue tomorrow morning with the traditional parade, which will end in Riverside Cemetery with a special ceremony. Wakefield native Shelby M. Nikitin, the former Naval commander of the guided-missile destroyer USS Thomas Hudner, will be the keynote speaker of this year’s Memorial Day Ceremonies. Nikitin, a 2000 graduate of Wakefield Memorial High, graduated four years later from the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, where she received her commission through the NROTC program and earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics.

Last year, she completed her command tour onboard the guided-missile destroyer USS Thomas Hudner. The ship was part of the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group (CSG) to the U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa area of operations in support of theater security cooperation efforts and to defend United States, allied and partner interests.

Under her leadership, the ship deployed to protect maritime shipping from illegal, dangerous and destabilizing Houthi attacks against vessels transiting the Red Sea. Commander Nikitin received the Bronze Star for her extraordinary leadership and bravery in defending lives and protecting the free flow of commerce in one of the world’s most critical waterways.

The USS Thomas Hudner was built at Bath Iron Works in Maine.

“Rain or shine, we will definitely have the parade,” Castinetti said.

“So, you might want to bring an umbrella if you are worried about the rain,” he said.

Bands, marchers, parade floats, vehicles and other participants will gather at the staging area at Anna Parker Playground at 124 Essex St. at 9 a.m. The parade will begin at 10 a.m., traveling the same parade route as last year: down Essex Street toward Cliftondale Square, down Lincoln Avenue onto Central Street, to Winter Street and into Riverside Cemetery for the Memorial Day Ceremonies.

Eugene Decareau, a 95-year-old Korean War era veteran, will serve as this year’s parade grand marshal. He’ll be riding in one of the antique convertibles recruited by Guy Moley, the man behind local charity car shows.

WIN Waste Innovations, with their new electric trash truck, will be leading the parade, according to Castinetti. “They [WIN] are our major sponsor, and they help keep this parade alive every year,” Castinetti said.

“We want to thank them for their continued contribution,” he said.

Other highlights of this year’s parade and ceremony include:

• Saugus residents who are unable to get down to watch the parade in person can listen to it live on the radio. WMEX 1510 AM out of Quincy will broadcast the parade and ceremony at Riverside Cemetery for the second consecutive year.
• Todd Angilly, the voice of the National Anthem for Boston Bruins hockey games, will sing at the cemetery ceremony.
• Four Junior ROTC units will participate: Lynn English High School, Beverly High School, Peabody High School and Salem High School.
• Saugus TV Studio Associate John Prudent has again prepared a special Memorial Day video capturing Saugus veterans, which will be displayed on the truck during the parade. There will also be a special video played later in the cemetery.
• The Saugus High School Marching Band and the McGann Marching Band will be in the parade.
• The Stuart Highlanders Pipe Band, of Wilmington, will be leading the veterans marchers.
• There will be several local organizations and clubs joining the parade with individual floats. The Broco Oil truck also plans to be part of the procession.
• The Hingham Militia, dressed in period uniforms and accompanied by its rifle squad, will also participate.