BIDDEFORD — Leading the way through the streets of Saco and Biddeford was the color guard, with members from different generations and various branches of the military; there were veterans, some walking and many riding in cars; school bands from both Biddeford and Saco performed and, local Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops also took park in Thursday’s Veterans Day parade.
The annual parade began in Saco, at Eastman Park. It proceeded to Biddeford, where the closing ceremony took place at Veterans Memorial Park, on the corner of Pool and Alfred streets.
Veterans Day first began in 1919 and was called Armistice Day. It was established to honor World War I veterans, and those who gave their lives in the line of duty during that war. Later it was expanded to honor all military veterans.
Veterans Day recognizes the eleventh hour, on the eleventh day, in the eleventh month when major hostilities of the first world war were formally ended at that time in 1918.
Chaplain Terry Schmidt, of the USS Maine Base, gave the opening and closing prayers at the Biddeford ceremony. Veterans Day, he said, is a day to honor veterans and “their extraordinary contribution to this great country and what it stands for.”
Both the Biddeford High School and Thornton Academy bands played the National Anthem and a member of the USS San Juan submarine crew raised the American flag.
The flag was flown at half-staff on Thursday, at the order of Gov. John Baldacci, in memory of First Lt. James Zimmerman, a Marine from Aroostook, who was killed in Afghanistan last week.
City Council members from the cities of Saco and Biddeford, state representatives from Saco, and State Sen. Barry Hobbins who represents parts of Biddeford, Saco and Old Orchard Beach were among the dignities attending the closing ceremony.
Also representatives from the offices of both Maine’s U.S. senators read statements from the senators.
“Today is our opportunity to pause and pay tribute,” said Michael Aube, who represented U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe.
He noted that there are more than 23 million veterans living in the United States, with 142,000 from Maine.
Veterans Day is also a day to honor those who have made the “ultimate sacrifice,” said Aube, losing their lives on the battlefield defending their country.
“We express our gratitude (to veterans) through our words and in our actions,” said Robby Reynolds, who represented U.S. Sen. Susan Collins.
That’s why it’s important that the country ensure that veterans get quality health care and education when they return home, he said.
Veterans Day, “In my eyes, it’s honoring those who honored us,” said Kayla Fournier, a student from Biddeford Middle School. She read the poem “In Flanders Field” and a speech of her own at the ceremony.
The keynote speaker was Commander Oliver Lewis of the USS San Juan submarine, which is undergoing an overhaul at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery.
“It’s a distinct privilege to celebrate Veterans Day with you in the twin cities of Biddeford and Saco,” said Lewis.
Despite today’s technical advances used by the military, deaths still occur, he said, and noted on Thursday, 19 Americans serving in the
military had already died
this month.
He told those in attendance to “never forget that every fallen warrior is someone’s father or son, mother or daughter.”
It’s important, said Lewis, that veterans are “fully supported by a grateful nation.”
In his closing benediction, Chaplain Schmidt said, “Freedom is not free. The liberty we experience was purchased at a great price. We should show gratitude for our veterans.”
Lenny Sanborn, the grand marshall of the parade, placed the memorial wreath at the park.
After the ceremony, veterans and spectators were invited for a luncheon at the Biddeford AMVETS hall on Alfred Street.
— Staff Writer Dina Mendros can be contacted at 282-1535, Ext. 324 or dmendros@journaltribune.com.
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