I’m trying not to write this in disgust. I’m trying to be caring and understanding, but it’s just not coming out of me right now. It’s Memorial Day. Memorial Day.

Many, many people spend all year long working hard to make this an outstanding community. They give of themselves constantly to create an environment that will be a good and decent place to live and pass on to the next generation. We teach that giving of yourself is really the best way to keep our community the place where you want to live. We give of our time to take care of each other, (like volunteering at the food pantry). We work to keep our common space beautiful (like the volunteers who garden the library). We give of our selves daily in so many organizations and town committees.

But then comes Memorial Day.  A day to come together and remember. To remember the kids we, as a community, taught right and gave their lives for those very values. This should be huge, this should be awesome, but there was so much missing from the picture I was torn between disgust and shame.

The 200 people who were on the Common this morning at 10 a.m. understand immediately what I am about to say. Because the 200 people there knew we’ve been doing this for the past 25 years. We didn’t need an invitation. The event didn’t make the Express listing, but we knew to be there. Our Police and Fire showed up in uniform. Our Boy and Girl Scouts made a great showing. The high school band was awesome. And Erina DePina read the Gettysburg Address with such feeling that I was overwhelmed with pride. Our American Legion Vets looked great, and I know Charles Francis poured his heart and soul into this.

So here it is: This is an event where we honor those that have served our community with their lives. And where were our Selectmen? Even Rep. Allen McCarthy sent his aide Ryan Coyne along because he couldn’t make it. Wasn’t there anyone who could have represented our town government? I’m sure there would have been, if someone had bothered to put a little thought into it. But my disgust doesn’t stop there. How many churches do we have in town? I know there are at least eight. Did any of those Ministers take the time to think – “Hey, it’s Memorial Day, I wonder what the community I serve is doing to observe it?” Because there were no clergy or church represented at this Memorial Service.  (The American Legion’s Chaplin did a fine job, by the way- but that’s not the point.)

And then our service organizations. They spend all this energy showing us that it is through volunteerism that we build our communities. Each organization has the opportunity to speak and show us that our children did not die in vain, that these were the principles they were upholding. And yet we did not hear from many of them. We heard from the Masons, we heard from the Rotarians and, thankfully, we heard from Ed Smith Representing the Lions Club. Ed Smith, I’m not even going to get into the irony there. But it was Ed Smith who put the whole feeling into words: “ Thank you all for being here. Thank you because it would have been easy not to be here. It would have been easy to sleep in today, to stay at home with a fresh cup of coffee, to head out for a round of golf or a long weekend on the cape. But then it would have been easy for Frank Harlow to surrender. It would have been easy for Gordon Craig to jump the other way. It would have been easy for Peter Moskos to find a way to avoid serving. If they and thousands of others chose the easy course, where would we be today? Today, it is even easier to choose not to serve. Yet, thankfully, thousands willingly step forward, don the uniform of our country, and place themselves in harm’s way to protect and preserve our freedom knowing full well the potential ultimate cost. They deserve our respect and gratitude. They deserve to know that if they should fall in that endeavor, they will be remembered and revered. So thank you for being here today. Thank you for the opportunity to join with you in fulfilling that expectation. It may be inconvenient, not easy, but compared to the sacrifice of those who we gather to honor, those of us who choose to be here know there is no choice.” So thank you, Ed, for those words.

There are many in the groups of people I have named whom I call my nearest and dearest friends, and I’m sure they won’t be happy with this public call out. Please accept my apologies, but it was too big of an issue to address individually. This memorial service was covered by five media sources. And the shame I felt for East Bridgewater was overwhelming. I’m not trying to solve the apathy epidemic toward observing Memorial Day. The beginning of summer has a very alluring call. But maybe, just maybe, if some younger Vets got involved, and each of the groups mentioned took time to think about how they will be represented next year, it would give Charles Francis more organizational support and the event would better represent the respect and gratitude East Bridgewater feels for the price our servicemen paid.

Ms. Rose Kelley is a Spring Street resident.