The Town of Hingham’s Department of Veterans’ Services and the Hingham Veterans’ Council are proud to announce that Hingham's annual Memorial Day observance will be held Monday, May 30.
The Town’s ceremony follows the nation’s longstanding tradition of honoring those who died while in military service to our country. This day was first known as Decoration Day, starting in 1868 as a day of remembrance and decorating graves of fallen Civil War soldiers and sailors. The day became an official federal holiday in 1971.
WHEN
The Hingham Town Moderator, Michael Puzo, will begin the ceremony promptly at 11 a.m. on May 30.
WHERE
The event will take place outdoors at Hingham Town Hall. In the event of inclement weather, the entire ceremony will be conducted in the Sanborn Auditorium inside Hingham Town Hall.
WHO
All are welcome to attend the event. Dignitaries from the Town of Hingham, Hingham’s Department of Veterans’ Services and the Hingham Veterans’ Council will be present. The principal speaker for the event will be Sgt. Thomas M. Lester, U.S. Army.
WHAT
All veterans and their families, the Hingham High School Band, and all senior citizens will be provided seating. Honor/Color Guards will be posted in the Veterans Monument, and the general public is invited as well. Seating will be limited, so residents are asked to bring their own chairs.
After the official remarks, the Town Clerk will read the names of those Hingham veterans who have passed since Memorial Day last year. A wreath will be placed in honor of all those who have made the ultimate sacrifice, as the Rifle Squad fires the volley and the bugler sounds Taps.
At the conclusion of the ceremony, all veterans and their families are invited for a buffet-style luncheon at the Grand Army Memorial Hall, served by Hart Catering of Rockland.
All student participants will be treated to ice cream on the lawn provided by Dan Spahn of All American Ice Cream.
About Honored Speaker Sgt. Lester
Sgt. Lester was born and raised in Quincy. Following his graduation from Catholic Memorial High School in West Roxbury, he matriculated into the Virginia Military Institute, where he graduated in 2016 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology.
Immediately following his graduation, Sgt. Lester enlisted into the United States Army as a 68W, Combat Medic. He attended Basic Combat Training at Fort Jackson, Columbia, South Carolina; Advanced Individual Training at Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio, Texas; and Airborne School at Fort Benning, Columbus, Georgia.
After completing Initial Entry Training, Sgt. Lester was assigned to the 2-504 Parachute Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
Three months after reporting to the 82nd Airborne Division, Sgt. Lester was deployed to Helmand Province, Afghanistan in support of Operation Freedom Sentinel. Upon his return to Fort Bragg, Sgt. Lester attended the Small Unit Ranger Tactics course, and subsequently Ranger School at Fort Benning, where he earned the coveted Ranger Tab.
Sgt. Lester was Honorably discharged from the Army on March 12, 2022, after five years of service. He has since returned home to Massachusetts.