Flag Dedication for Five Branches of Military on Saturday

The Burlington Office of Veterans Services and the Burlington Allied Veterans Council wish to invite all Burlington employees to join us for a very special ceremony to honor and bless the five service flags from each branch of the military, as they are raised for the very first time in Burlington. The ceremony will take place on Saturday, October 19, at 1 p.m. The program will take place on the Town Common, across from the fire station, and a myriad of honor guards and uniformed personnel have been invited.

It has been the mission of the Burlington Allied Veterans Council to have a veterans memorial project on the Town Common, with the final result being the installation of five 30-foot flagpoles, one for each branch of the military, along a paved walkway with benches, lighting and landscaping to give honor to all those who have served this great country.

Honored guests invited include Burlington resident, U.S. Army Brigadier General Jack Hammond (Ret), who will be speaking along with U.S. Marine Corps Lt. General George Flynn (Ret) and Coleman Nee, Massachusetts Secretary of Veterans Services, who is a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, and Burlington resident Commander Peter Dutton, Director - China Maritime

Studies Institute, U.S. Naval War College. Others assisting with the flag raising are Air Force Senior Airman Shane Thompson and Coast Guard Petty Officer 2nd Class Jarrod Brothers.

Also accepting invitations but unable to attend because of the Federal Government shutdown are: U.S. Air Force Colonel Lester Weilacher, Commander of the 66th Air Base Group from Hanscom Air Force Base and Captain Timothy Heitsch from the U.S. Coast Guard base in Boston, as well as Commander Sean Kearns, from the U.S.S. Constitution, representing the U.S. Navy. Also in attendance will be those who sponsored individual flagpoles in honor of loved ones, as well as those who made donations towards this wonderful project.

This particular section of the Town Common has now become a beautiful and peaceful place to stop and give pause for remembrance. Much time, effort, thought and consideration has been placed into this wonderful project with the help of generous contributions as well as guidance from many hard working, dedicated workers and volunteers.

The Allied Veterans Council and the Burlington Office of Veterans Services are very proud of this project and thank everyone for their part in the project. We are looking forward to the special ceremony for this much anticipated event. All costs for the project were covered entirely by donations.