Hampden County Sheriff’s Department participates in Flag Sojourn 250

Hampden County Sheriff Nick Cocchi, Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno and Springfield Armory Superintendent Kelly Fellner watch as Hampden County Sheriff’s Department Captain Stephen Rose takes a folded American flag from Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department Deputy Kenny Sheehan during the Flag Sojourn 250 ceremony.
Reminder Publishing photo by Sarah Heinonen

SPRINGFIELD — An American flag that is making its way through every state and territory in the country and every military cemetery abroad came to Springfield on June 16.

The flag’s journey, officially dubbed Flag Sojourn 250, is designed to celebrate the nation’s 250th birthday.

Flag Sojourn 250, an initiative from the National Flag Foundation and America250’s America Waves program, has been made possible by the participation of sheriff’s departments around the country, with the flag being handed off from one department to the next. The flag will end its tour in Washington, D.C. on July 4.

An honor guard from the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department solemnly marched toward Hampden County Sheriff’s Department Captain Stephen Rose and Lt. Damian Cherry. Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department Deputy Kenny Sheehan clutched the folded flag to his chest as he approached.

After receiving a salute from his Hampden County counterpart, Sheehan passed the flag to Rose, who held the flag against his own chest.

Hampden County Sheriff Nick Cocchi led those gathered in the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by “The Star-Spangled Banner,” sung by Dawn Bourbeau, who the sheriff’s department referred to as the “executive songbird.” The sheriff then spoke about the flag as a symbol of unity in” times of tumult and strife.

“Our flag tells a story. It is not one single piece of cloth. It is made of individual stars and stripes stitched together to create something greater than any one part,” Cocchi said. “In many ways America is the same. We are people from different backgrounds, different cultures, different traditions and different walks of life… Yet we are bound together by common values and a shared love of country. Just as every stitch helps hold the flag together, every citizen helps strengthen the nation.”

Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno stepped up to the microphone. He praised Cocchi for being community-oriented and he said Springfield Armory Superintendent Kelly Fellner had “put the armory on the map.” Echoing Cocchi’s remarks, Sarno said, “That’s what America is about, a melting pot.” He added that he wished people would stop fighting and embrace their differences.

The mayor said the flag stands for veterans, many of whom have gone on to work in public safety. “It’s because of them that America is still the greatest country in the world,” Sarno said.

Fellner remarked that she sees the flag on top of the Springfield Armory every day when she goes to work and is inspired. She said the flag’s blue field stands for perseverance, the red stripes for valor and the white stripes and stars represent liberty.

Fellner shared the history of the armory as an arsenal during the American Revolution and a key point midway between Boston and New York. The armory was used in every military campaign until it was closed in 1968.

After the ceremony, Cocchi told Reminder Publishing that he and other sheriffs around the country wanted to participate in the flag’s pilgrimage because of what it represents.

“It’s all symbolic. Watch the news today, flip from CNN to Fox. It’s not good. The rhetoric — we’re better than this,” Cocchi said. “We want to be part of bringing the country back to… respect and embrace differences and understand we are all Americans and we fight for the same cause — our safety, our prosperity, but you also have to have in there kindness and love. And if that message can come from law enforcement officials, who also have responsibility of care and custody of offenders, I don’t know what better group to send it from.”

Cocchi continued, “We will serve and protect the public, which satisfies a lot of the right philosophy, but we also rehabilitate and give people second chances and opportunities to be their best selves, and that satisfies some of the left ideology. As sheriff, you can’t be Democrat of Republican. It doesn’t matter what political affiliation you have when you come in our doors. We have an obligation to take somebody at their worst time and bring them out on a path of bettering themselves, to bring them back to the community and be more law-abiding and productive citizens. And that’s our goal.” He said, “We are proud of our country, and I think all of us serve with honor every single day.”