On May 28, members of the Rochester Select Board took turns reading the names of Americans from the town who had made the ultimate sacrifice on behalf of citizens near and far, young and old.
Some of those names rang familiar to Rochester ears, surnames shared by the living, including people on the scene.
A stunning Sunday afternoon brought citizens out to their sidewalks and some to the Town Hall, as municipal officials were joined by Representative William Straus, the Rochester Memorial School Marching Band and Troop 31 of the Boy Scouts for a procession that would reach Daggett Square, pause for the recital of names of war heroes and return.
Straus spoke of “individuals who stepped away from what was happening” in their own lives to take care of something threatening everyone else’s. He noted that the distances Civil War veterans traveled to in 1860 are equivalent today to the farthest reaches of the world.
“What these Civil War veterans did for the idea of this country is something I hope everyone will reflect on,” he said.
To begin the procession, the RMS Band, directed by Kaitlyn Laprise, performed “The Star Spangled Banner” and “You’re a Grand Old Flag,” along with other music throughout the march. At nearby Daggett Square, where members of the Select Board read the names of war heroes before the Honor Roll there, Grade 6 students Zachary Gagne and Charlotte Silveira participated in the playing of “Taps.”
Not only were names read aloud but others remembered, as attendees with an abiding grief for lost loved ones, grandfathers and uncles never known because they had given themselves for the life they cherish, engaged in their silent attention. The heaviness of the moment resonated in short, unscheduled pauses under a bright, blue sky that itself seemed to participate.
Select Board member Paul Ciaburri, who presided over the event with assistance from Tri-Town Veterans Agent Chris Gerrior, thanked an anonymous resident for recreating the war memorial that stands right outside the front door to Town Hall and the Highway Department for relocating it to a more welcoming position. Ciaburri also thanked SEMASS for donating and installing the twin flag poles that now stand on either side of the rock flying the American and POW-MIA flags.
Upon return to the Town Hall, the reading of names was completed and the RMS Band played, after which Americans engaged one another in fellowship over refreshments.
By Mick Colageo