A Different Memorial Day Ceremony, But One Still Marked with Tradition, Respect and Gratitude

OLD LYME — UPDATED MAY 27 — Members of the local Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) held a short Memorial Day ceremony yesterday morning in Duck River Cemetery in Old Lyme. They were joined by around 20 members of the public despite the unseasonably chilly conditions.

VFW Commander David Griswold, pictured above, started with a short business meeting, which included both a prayer and the observation that what makes America best is its people.

Retired Navy Captain Larry Olson of the USS Maine, pictured above, served as Master of Ceremonies. He noted his Navy service lasted 37 years under 15 different commands and commented, “I thought each one was the best and the greatest of all.”

Olsen said he believed that Navy personnel are characterized by, “character, daring, and resourcefulness.“

Stressing , “The pandemic can’t stop us from uniting,” Olsen then paraphrased the words of President John F. Kennedy saying we should never forget that what is important is not to utter words, but to live by them. He also cited The Bible, which states, “The greatest love is to lay down one’s life for one’s friend.”

VFW member Bob Roser, center in photo above, led the group in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Old Lyme First Selectman and VFW member Tim Griswold (left at flagpole) and VFW member Ed Shyloski raise the flag from half staff …

… to full staff as fellow VFW members salute.

VFW members Ron Boremski and Joe Lacasse placed the wreath commemorating all those who had made the ultimate sacrifice while serving in the US Armed Forces.

Then the Old Lyme Fire Department (OLFD) Chaplain, 98-year-old Mervin Roberts, began to make his way to the podium to give the Homily.

Roberts, who has served as Chaplain for 50 years, read the Homily. A video of him reading it was made prior to the service since it was uncertain whether he would be able to attend the ceremony. View the video at the link below.

After he had read the Homily, Roberts was presented with an award (see below) for his service to the VFW.

Watch a video of the presentation at the link below.

Ret. Navy Captain Larry Olsen ended the ceremony with these words, “In conclusion, this year we not only remember fallen heroes, we thank all who served and all who say thanks to us for serving. But besides the military, this year we thank all in healthcare, lab workers, police and fire personnel, teachers who meet the challenge in this new environment, elected officials all who grow and serve food, all citizens who do right. They are all part of the fabric that makes this the greatest nation.”

After the ceremony, Roberts’s friend and fellow OLFD member Bob Doyen (left in photo below) walked with Roberts back to his car following receipt of his award. Doyen, who is Old Lyme’s current Citizen of the Year, was ready to stand in and deliver his Homily for Roberts should the latter not have been able to speak at the ceremony.

We are all delighted that Mr. Roberts was able to be there along with members of his family, who requested to express their thanks through LymeLine to the VFW for allowing Mr. Roberts to participate.

The text of the Homily read by Roberts is as follows:

As I review my previous Memorial Day homilies, I’ve come to realize that there is a pattern unfolding.  Taken together, they help to tell us why we are here again in this cemetery. I’ve had the occasion, and the challenge, to explore with you how and why we voluntarily meet here on this designated day to celebrate the lives and mourn the passings of preachers, teachers, siblings, parents, ancestors, neighbors, heroes, government officials, duck hunters, bird watchers, conservation commissioners, friends, lovers, spouses, artists, musicians, fishermen, cow farmers and others.

Truly a web of life.

There were people I knew who sometimes quit too soon and some who might have done better if they quit sooner. Perhaps it is our very individual differences that are a clue to our overall success as a species.  Certainly we are not all alike. In this world full of predators, parasites, and unforeseen diseases, if we were all alike, we would all have succumbed to whatever it was that struck.

But that has not been the case and somehow I suspect our fate lies elsewhere.

So let’s revel in glories of our various lives, our music and other arts, our religious faiths and, high on my list, our love for each other, for certainly what others have done for us should be an inspiration to all to keep up their good work. Here in Lyme and Old Lyme we have homes or resting places of so many people who lived here and left us with something to remember them by.  Let me mention a few in no particular order:  

• Jim Noyes, who participated in beach landings in the Mediterranean In World War II, and  
• Belton Copp, who left an arm in the Philippines, and 
• Silver Star awardee Jack Appleby, and
• Ezra Lee who was esteemed by Washington, and
• Clara Noyes who drew thousands of women into World War 1 as nurses, and
• Roger Tory Peterson, who helped us appreciate birds, and
• Amy Henry, who taught hundreds of our children how history matters, and
• E. Lea Marsh, who gave us whole generations of Borden Elsies.

They are not alone. 

From my own life, I would recount just one example.  My late wife Edith and I had born to us six children, the last being William John, named for one of his grandfathers.  Billy had Down syndrome. He was loving, kind, generous, sociable, and academically very limited. We could have had him live in an institution as was the common practice at that time, but instead we kept him home.  Here the Lyme Old Lyme Board of Education provided as much help as he could benefit from and, lo and behold, limited as he surely was, we, his family and our neighbors accepted him for what he was.

Now Dick and Jane Bugbee knew us. Dick and I were both duck hunters. Dick painted houses.  Jane taught piano. Although our homes were about one-half mile apart, Billy would occasionally meander over to visit Jane.  We didn’t take him there, or even show him the way or even suggest his movement.  He just found his own way and Jane would phone Edith that her son Billy was there having a cup of tea, and when he was through, Jane would see him start on his own way back home. 

No alarm of lost child, no social worker, no emergency, just Billy Roberts visiting for a cup of tea.  This is but an example of how this web of life worked for us. We certainly owe the people of Old Lyme our gratitude for everyone’s help. 

Incidentally, Billy was a strong supporter of the Old Lyme Fire Department and was elected an Honorary Member. 

On a personal note, I’ve been a member of this same Department since 1960, but now frail in my 98th year, I can no longer remain active as Chaplain. This, then, will probably be my last homily. 

I thank you for the opportunity to serve.