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Date: 6/8/2022
AMHERST – The Amherst Memorial Day Parade and ceremony on May 30 honored veterans with a proclamation from the Town Council and appearances from state Rep. Mindy Domb, Town Manager Paul Bockelman, Director of Veterans’ Service Steve Connor and the Amherst-Pelham Regional High School chorus.
The parade started at 9 a.m. near the Town Common and headed down North Pleasant St. toward Amherst-Pelham Regional High School before ending at War Memorial Pool for the ceremony.
Connor opened the ceremony by remembering those who courageously gave their lives and who continue to fight. He admired their courage and said, “We salute them, honor them and thank them.”
Bockelman told the crowd of around 40 residents he always likes to start with honoring his parents, saying both served in the military.
“My mom was a Navy nurse during World War II, my dad was an infantryman in the Army,” Bockelman said. “As kids we always liked the Army/Navy game because we thought that we’d see them fight. My dad served in Germany, became a prisoner of war for 13 months and lost a leg. He ultimately became commander of the Former POWs in Ohio and I honor him today and my mom as well, because they both served with distinction.”
Domb said Memorial Day is about commemorating and honoring those who have fought and committed their lives to fascism in particular and defending democracy. She said she looks at this Memorial Day as a way to recommit ourselves to making sure that our veterans can access the healthcare they need.
“I hate to be political, but I am political, so I have to go there. We have to make sure that the VA Medical Center in Leeds stays open. We can’t just come to Memorial Day ceremonies and thank people and then make them go to Connecticut for their care,” Domb said. “We have to make sure, and I think we’re doing this, that the tragedy at the Holyoke Soldiers Home never happens again. That we take this opportunity not only to recognize those that have died to defend our democracy, but those who returned from defending our democracy and what their continuing needs are and what our continuing need is to also join them to defend our democracy against fascism. I hope that we all take that moment today to think about what can we do tomorrow to serve and protect our democracy and to also honor those who recommitted and committed their lives to doing so.”