HUDSON — The traditional Hudson Memorial Day Parade and Ceremony returned to downtown Monday.
The observance was canceled in 2020 due to pandemic restrictions. A ceremony then took place last year in front of the town hall without a parade.
Leading the parade this year were color guards from the Hudson AMVETS Post 208 and the Hudson Police Department. Other parade participants included state and city officials, local veterans, members of Hudson-Concord Elks Lodge 959 and scout troops.
The Hudson High School Marching Band under the direction of Jason Caron provided patriotic music during the parade and ceremony.
Commander Joe Jacobs of the American Legion Post 100 and AMVETS Post 208 once again hosted the ceremony.
Mike King, Hudson-Concord-Elks Treasurer, offered an invocation and blessing. Wreaths were laid by Joe Duca, former commander of VFW Post 1027, along with Jesse Harvey, former hothead leader of the Hudson-Concord-Elks.
State Sen. Jamie Eldridge (D-Acton) and State Representative Kate Hogan (D-Stow) paid tribute to veterans who made the ultimate sacrifice.
“They are the soul of our nation,” Hogan said of the fallen veterans.
Board Vice Chairman Michael D. Burks Sr. expressed his gratitude to the other residents who attended the Memorial Day celebration.
Mark Shulthess, retired Brigadier General and Vietnam Veteran, delivered the keynote address.
Introducing him, veterans agent Brian Stearns noted that Shulthess and three other veterans recognized two Revolutionary War soldiers who had been buried in unmarked graves in the Hudson Industrial Estate. They installed a bronze plaque with the names of these two soldiers: Captain William Loring and Corporal Joseph Waters.
Stearns called this gesture “the truest form of the term ‘Let’s not forget.’
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