Florence Memorial Day Parade honors those who made ultimate sacrifice

Ken O’Brien (left) shared much gratitude for the community at the post-parade ceremony inside the Florence VFW, where he and his cousin were awarded the Medal of Liberty in honor of their uncle William J. O’Brien, who died in WWII.
Reminder Publishing photo by Trent Levakis

NORTHAMPTON — The weather did not stop the greater Northampton community from gathering and celebrating Memorial Day this year.

On May 25, crowds filled Main Street to watch the 158th Florence Memorial Day Parade, which once again ran from Trinity Row to the Park Street Cemetery.

Members of the Florence VFW Color Guard led the charge, while Northampton Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra, members of the City Council and School Committee, and state Sen. Jo Comerford and state Rep. Lindsay Sabadosa followed right behind them. Other local organizations and students from Northampton Public Schools joined the parade, as well.

Honored at the post-parade ceremony inside the Florence VFW was the memory of William J. O’Brien, a World War II veteran who died alongside nine other men in a B-17 crash during the war. O’Brien’s nephews, Ken O’Brien and John Richardson, were awarded the Medal of Liberty, a purple ribbon with a gold star given to the families of those who have died in service.

William O’Brien, born in Northampton in 1919, was a well-known athlete and a 1938 graduate of Northampton High School. When Pearl Harbor was attacked, he left Northeastern University — where he had been studying mechanical engineering — to enlist as a cadet in the Army. Trained at bases in Alabama and Texas, he qualified as a bombardier before going overseas to England with the Eighth Air Force 410 Bomber Squadron.

“I’d like to thank the Veterans Services of Northampton, the city of Northampton, and of course, the commonwealth, for honoring our uncle. This coming Friday will be the 83rd anniversary of his death. It’s quite the honor and greatly appreciated by John Richardson and myself to be honoring our family,” said O’Brien.

The holiday also coincided with Veterans Service Director Steve Connor’s final day in the position. He recalled memories of being a 10-year-old kid and his relationship with the parade. Specifically, he highlighted the fondness he has for the Memorial Day holiday and remembered the times he went to the parade with his father. Connor, who is retiring after 22 years in the position as veterans services director, shared memories of waking up early in the morning to get donuts on the way to the celebrations that honored those who have fallen in service of our country.

“I was 10 years old. Memorial Day made a big impression on me. If I wanted to hangout with my dad, I was going to do that [get up early and go to the parade],” said Connor. “Our main job is to make sure that the veteran and their family members, or the widows and the families left behind, always are taken care of.”

During the May 25 ceremony, he thanked the community for coming out on this Memorial Day and offered much gratitude to those who sacrificed it all in honor of the country. He also shared that Memorial Day, as a day of reflection and memory, and Veterans Day, as a celebration of those who served, have always been a paradox he and his predecessor continue to ponder deeply.

“Memorial Day and Veterans Day are both American holidays that honor those who served, but they have different meanings. Memorial Day is a day to remember and honor the brave men and women who died while serving our country …. Veterans Day, on the other hand, honors all military veterans, those who served in wartime and peace time and returned home after their service,” Connor said. “I have always looked at these days different. One, as a solemn event, and the other as a celebration. However, our calendar and our climate can make that distinction more difficult to recognize. Memorial Day is often marked by somber ceremonies, yet it falls during a three-day holiday weekend that is commercially promoted as the beginning of summer. In contrast, Veterans Day is observed on the 11th hour, of the 11th day, of the 11th month in early November. It often arrives with chilly, gray weather, bare trees, and thoughts of winter are already settling in our minds of those attendants.”

Connor added, “Together, these holidays remind us of the courage, sacrifice and dedication of American service members. I want to say thank you to everybody here who decided that this Memorial Day was going to be a day of reflection and not a summer holiday…It’s been an honor to serve everybody for 22 years. I love this parade and this ceremony since I was a little kid, and it’s such an honor to be a Florence boy getting to do his last thing here.”

Sciarra thanked Connor, who was also the grand marshal for the parade.

“Steve served our veterans in the now 14 communities in the district with dedication and fierce loyalty for over 22 years. He has led scores of ceremonies like this one across the district, honoring and upholding the traditions that mean so much to our communities. I thank you, Steve, for the thousands of lives that you’ve touched and the many lives that you’ve saved. We will be forever grateful,” said Sciarra.