Norwich — As local veterans and service members paraded down Broadway on Monday, resident Jeff Easterling called out to them: “Thank you so very much for your service!”

Easterling said he has a lot of friends who have served in the military and a lot of friends who lost their lives in combat, so he went to the Norwich Memorial Day parade to pay his respects to the fallen veterans and the veterans who are still alive, as well as to members of the police and fire departments.

Easterling, who brought his 2-year-old and 16-year-old sons to the parade, also said it was awesome to see that people are out and actually can get outside now.

“It’s been a long 14-15 months,” he said.

A crowd of people gathered on the overcast day to remember the fallen on Memorial Day and to be together in community after months of restrictions during the pandemic. Parade-goers watched with friends and family and took photos and videos with their phones, participants waved and tossed candy, and the Melaena Band performed “Imagine” during the parade held by the Norwich Area Veterans’ Council and the City of Norwich.

The parade featured an array of participants, including veterans and service members, a vehicle in honor of Connecticut’s Vietnam Wall of Honor, first responders in emergency vehicles, the Norwich Sea Unicorns baseball team, scouts, St. Edmund’s Pipes and Drums, Miss New England 2021, Color Guards, antique cars and service dogs. 

Pamela and Joel Buckley, who were new to the area but didn’t get a chance to participate in activities due to the pandemic, went to the parade to honor those who have fallen and be part of the community support: “We’re all one big supportive family,” Pamela said.

Vietnam veteran Tucker Braddock said he walked in the parade because some who gave their all can never walk.

“I was very excited to see this many people in our downtown come out and support the Memorial Day ceremony,” he added. “It’s nice to feel love, and that's what people do when they come to a service like this.”

Ceremony of remembrance

After the parade, people gathered at Chelsea Parade for a ceremony that featured the Color Guard, songs and prayer, a POW/MIA ceremony and speeches. Neil O’Brien, co-chairman of the Memorial Day Committee, remembered the late Robert “Bob” Murphy, who took care of Memorial Day in Norwich for a long time.

As flags blew in the breeze, speakers highlighted the importance of remembrance on Memorial Day. John Waggoner, the master of ceremonies and past president of the Norwich Area Veterans Council, said the ceremony is a reminder that “the cost of freedom is tremendously high.”

Norwich Mayor Peter Nystrom read aloud the names of the soldiers, sailors and marines from Norwich “who gave all so that we may be free.”

“They are the true heroes of our City of Norwich,” Nystrom said. “For, not unlike our first responders of today in the City of Norwich, they never hesitated to answer the call, they never hesitated to put themselves at risk as they did what was right and just.”

State Sen. Cathy Osten, D-Sprague, a U.S. Army veteran, said “freedom is not free. It cost the lives of many men and women, and we should remember that."

Linda Schwartz, former assistant secretary of veterans affairs for policy and planning for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and past commissioner of the state’s Department of Veterans Affairs, said the voice of heroes of the past seems to say “remember me.”

“If you falter or are troubled or too timid to raise your voice to injustice, remember we served and died to protect your freedom of speech,” she said. “When you see that integrity and truth have become casualties of time, remember we served and we died to ensure that the truth would keep you free, and if you see oppression and intolerance, remember we served and we died so there would be liberty and justice for all, and should you be too tired to go to the polls or vote, remember we died to ensure your rights to free elections.”

Capt. Todd Moore, commanding officer of the Naval Submarine Base in Groton, said people gather at public events or in private prayer on Memorial Day to recognize the 1.3 million men and women in the armed forces who gave their lives.

“This year it’s also fitting to remember the 26 service members of the armed forces who have been lost in the battle against COVID-19,” he said. “We mourn them and the nearly 600,000 fellow citizens of our nation who have perished in the fight. We recognize their loss has left gaping holes in our homes, communities and workplaces, and so it is our honor to protect the freedom of those who they leave behind: their mothers and fathers, husbands and wives, children and coworkers and extended family and friends.”

During the ceremony, people sang the national anthem and “America the Beautiful,” and veterans laid wreaths at memorials.

k.drelich@theday.com