Members of the Vineyard community marked Memorial Day with a parade to honor all those who have died in service to the country. The annual ceremony returned this year after being cancelled due to Covid-19 last year.
The parade began at the American Legion Post 257 in Vineyard Haven and concluded in Oak Grove Cemetery. Local veterans, police officers, firemen, members of American Legion auxiliary, representatives of the Dukes County Sheriff’s Honor Guard and Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts all marched together to commemorate the holiday.
Jo Ann Murphy, commander of the American Legion post, oversaw the event. Ms. Murphy has been taking part in the annual ceremony since 1982 and has been leading it for the past 20 years. Observing the tradition each year matters, she said, so that the community “never forgets all the people who made the ultimate sacrifice.”
Despite a continuous drizzle throughout the morning, Islanders of all ages came out to witness the parade and ceremony.
At the cemetery, Ms. Murphy welcomed the crowd and apologized for some of the modifications that had to be made due to the inclement weather. In typical years, volunteers create an avenue of flags, almost 450 in total, for the ceremony. However, they were unable to do so this year because of the rain.
Natalie Wood sang the national anthem. Ms. Wood became a staple of the celebration after a serendipitous encounter with Ms. Murphy a number of years ago.
“A couple of years ago, my parade co-host got a child from the high school to sing the national anthem,” Ms. Murphy explained. “So I announced and nobody comes. I announced again and nobody comes. And then I get this tap on my shoulder: ‘Hi, my name is Natalie Wood and I’d be glad to sing for you. I sing acapella.’ I didn’t even know what that meant. I said, ‘Okay, this Natalie Wood.’ And she’s been doing it ever since.”
After the national anthem, Rev. Stephen Harding of Grace Church shared a prayer. Then, Girl Scout Grace DaSilva and Boy Scout Conner McCracken led the group in the Pledge of Allegiance.
Tisbury Selectmen Larry Gomez read aloud Governor Baker’s Memorial Day proclamation.
The ceremony’s guest speaker was Maj. James Hagerty of the United States Marine Corps, and the town administrator for Edgartown. Mr. Hagerty shared the story of his uncle, Sgt. William T. Hagerty, a Tisbury native, who died in combat in Vietnam in 1967. Mr. Hagerty quoted excerpts from the Vineyard Gazette, written in 1967, to reconstruct the arc of Sergeant Hagerty’s deployment.
“Sergeant Hagerty was 21 years old when he was killed in action,” he told the crowd. “A Vineyard kid, thousands of miles from home. He left on a plane, went to Vietnam and never returned to the Island shore.”
“On July 4th, 2017, I had a son,” Mr. Hagerty continued. “Hanging on the wall in his room is the original copy of [the Gazette article] I just read. When he gets a little older, I will explain to him the significance and why he’s named William Hagerty.”
For onlooker Christine Burke, Mr. Hagerty’s speech was a particularly poignant moment.
“He made it personal by showing the experience of war through the eyes of an Island kid,” she said. “Everyone here could relate to that. I found it incredibly moving.”
After Mr. Hagerty’s address, Ms. Murphy read the names of Vineyard veterans who died in the past two years since the last Memorial Day celebration was held.
Legion Auxiliary members Nancy Nevin and Jill Taney, Sgt. Timothy Stobie, Lt. James Craig, Lance Cpl. Woody Williams and Tisbury Fire Chief Greg Leland all placed wreaths at military monuments around the cemetery. Reverend Harding read aloud a prayer for all those killed as a result of the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.
The event concluded with a firing detail and the playing of Taps by retired Fire Chief John Schilling. As the parade marched back to the American Legion Post, the group placed an additional wreath at the Civil War Monument upon exiting Oak Grove.
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