Somers honors the fallen

On Memorial Day when rain canceled many parades and forced ceremonies indoors, Somers folks didn’t let the weather stop them from honoring those who’d made the ultimate sacrifice in service to the country.

A small but hardy crowd of military veterans, local elected officials, first responders and civilians gathered at the monument at Ivandell Cemetery where, at precisely noon, local Scouts raised the flags to full staff.

Supervisor Robert Scorrano explained that on Memorial Day, flags are traditionally flown at half-staff from sunrise to noon to honor fallen military personnel. They are then returned to full staff as a symbol of the nation’s “strength and perseverance,” he said.

And persevere they did.

In the wee hours of Monday, things were looking pretty gloomy, literally and figuratively.

The forecast rightly predicted substantial rain in the morning and so the traditional parade from Bailey Park to the cemetery was reluctantly called off.

And holding the ceremony at The Elephant Hotel, aka Town Hall, wouldn’t have worked because the meeting room can only hold 50 souls.

Then, as if someone upstairs was listening, the showers retreated. The town jumped on social media and about three dozen folks heeded the call.

Thanking them for turning up despite the short notice, Scorrano noted that “it shows what community’s all about and how people respond in order to honor our veterans.”

The ceremony started with the Pledge of Allegiance. Taps were played. Red, white and blue wreaths were displayed. The fire department hung an enormous American flag from a ladder truck. And the supervisor gave a moving speech in which he mentioned his dad, Michael, a Korean War veteran.

“For me, Memorial Day means understanding that freedom is never really someone else’s responsibility. I learned that lesson early in life. My father taught me that,” Scorrano said.

“He carried those lessons home from Korea, lessons about duty, sacrifice, brotherhood and love of country. Not with speeches, not with politics, but through the way my father lived. Through hard work, humility, by showing up for people when it matters.”

Maybe, he mused, “that’s the real meaning of Memorial Day, not only the ceremonies or the flags but the quiet understanding that someone gave up their entire life so moments like this could happen. Families could gather, children could play outside, neighbors could talk on front porches, beneath the same American flag.”

Looking up at the clouds and then into the faces of the crowd, Scorrano said: “We live those moments every day without thinking about it, but somebody gave up everything so we could live like this. Maybe the best way to honor them is simply to live in a way that is worthy of their sacrifice. To care for one another, to show up for our community, to leave this town and this country better than we found it.”

That’s what generations of sons and daughters have done.

“When the call came, they didn’t hesitate. They stood up, stepped forward and changed their lives forever. Somewhere between home and the horizon, they carried more than a pack. Some carried letters from home, photographs of the people they loved and dog tags close to their hearts,” Scorrano said.

Too many of them never came home, so folks need to honor their legacies “not only with gratitude, but with responsibility,” he added.

“In the end, they carried us, so today we remember,” Scorrano said.

He asked listeners to think ahead in time when questions like “Did we stand for the flag? Did we remember what freedom cost? Did we live in a way that honored the ones who gave everything?” might be asked.

“Let the answer be this. We remembered. We stood together. We carried their sacrifice forward,” he urged. “So today in this town, on this ground, let’s make that promise.”