Melrose Honors Veterans, Dedicates New Sign
Written and Photographed By Ellen Putnam
Melrose honored its veterans in a ceremony this Veterans Day at Memorial Hall. As part of the ceremony, officials dedicated a new sign to veterans that stands in front of City Hall.
Melrose scouts led the assembly in the Pledge of Allegiance. Mayor Jen Grigoraitis and Veterans' Services Director Tammy Shovelton spoke during the ceremony. Grigoraitis reflected on her grandfathers' service in World War II, and on the importance of providing opportunities for veterans to connect with other veterans. Shovelton (who is herself a veteran) spoke about her stepfather's service in Korea, and emphasized that each veteran has a story of their service, and part of supporting veterans is providing them with opportunities to be heard and understood, when they choose to share.
This year, Shovelton worked to commission and install a new sign honoring veterans in front of City Hall, noting that the previous sign had been installed after September 11th, 2001, and was intended to be temporary. ("That's the Melrose way," Mayor Grigoraitis quipped, "we make do with what we have.") The sign came from a free cash expenditure approved by the City Council this year, after a design process that involved working with the Veterans Services Advisory Board and the Historic District Commission to ensure that the sign's design fit with the rest of Main Street. The sign will be able to display Welcome Home messages to active service members as well as birthday messages and other news for veterans.
"After so many Vietnam veterans were treated so badly," Shovelton reflected on the origins of the sign 25 years ago, "the veterans of Melrose wanted to make sure that our new service members coming home would feel welcome. We wanted to make sure our Vietnam veterans knew that we paid attention, so no one else would have to go through what they did."
The event concluded with lunch for veterans, families, and community members.
Thank you to all of our veterans for your service. We honor you on Veterans Day, and every day.
