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Inside Abbot Hall this morning, a room full of voices rose in unison as the Marblehead Chorus led nearly 200 residents through “America the Beautiful,” connecting generations of service members, their families and neighbors in a Veterans Day ceremony that celebrated courage, remembrance and community.
Navy veteran and VFW Post 2005 Chaplain James Full opened the morning program by Select Board member Moses Grader, a Marine Corps. veteran, read Gov. Maura Healey’s proclamation, which marked the 107th anniversary of the armistice ending World War I at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918.
“Whereas today we are reminded of the great sacrifice, and whereas in honor, patriotism and purpose, it is appropriate that all Massachusetts residents remember the bravery of those who serve their country,” Grader read.
The ceremony’s centerpiece arrived when Gulf War Apache pilot Thomas Mathers delivered the keynote address, and Veterans Services officer Roseann Trionfi-Mazzuchelli and Dave Rodgers presented the Medal of Fidelity to the family of Harry C. Christensen Jr., a decorated Marine who died in April at 78.
Mathers, a Marblehead resident who flew combat missions over Iraq and Saudi Arabia in Operation Desert Storm, opened with humor (poking at the friendly rivalry between Army and Navy vets) before shifting to reflection on what military service demands of families.
Mathers described his mother’s burden as a widow whose only son deployed to war, then connected that memory to his own experience as a father whose son has deployed twice as a Naval Special Warfare officer during his wife’s pregnancies.
“We suffer the agony of not knowing where our son is, not being in touch with him, and certainly not knowing the great deeds that he’s doing,” Mathers said. “So I just wanted to acknowledge the incredible shared work of veterans, not only from the soldiers and sailors, but also from the spouses and the families.”
The West Point graduate reflected on what distinguishes veterans from civilians, drawing on his work in biotechnology and his recent sponsorship of Team USA at the Invictus Games for wounded warriors.
“We peel back what’s unnecessary, and we just get down to business,” Mathers said of how veterans’ tackle life’s challenges.
After Mathers spoke, Rodgers and Trionfi-Mazzuchelli presented the Medal of Fidelity to the family of Christensen, who graduated from Marblehead High School in 1965 before enlisting in the Marine Corps. Christensen served as a tank commander in Vietnam and received the Silver Star for gallantry in action and two Purple Hearts after being seriously wounded during an ambush by North Vietnamese forces on Jan. 24, 1968. He suffered approximately 14 bullet and shrapnel wounds while everyone else in his tank was killed.
“He was a friend of mine, fantastic man, former selectman,” Rodgers said before reading a citation from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. “Harry helped a lot of people in this town and a lot of people, and he didn’t really want credit for it.”
Christensen’s entire family, including his wife Marsha, was on hand to accept the medal. The Medal of Fidelity is awarded by Massachusetts to families of servicemen and women who died as a result of combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury or exposure to toxins during military service. Trionfi-Mazzuchelli said the application process requires discharge papers, service records, medical documentation and marriage certificates and takes approximately six months for review by a state panel.
Christensen spent 13 years as a special education teacher before establishing a family law practice and serving more than 20 years on the Marblehead Select Board. He regularly spoke to high school students about the Vietnam War and maintained the Duncan Sleigh memorial honoring a Marine platoon commander killed in Vietnam.
Mathers closed his address by acknowledging the young Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts, who led the Pledge of Allegiance, in attendance and emphasizing the importance of passing military history to new generations.
“We need you to really hear me on this,” Mathers said. “There is only one thing that’s important, one thing in life. You know what that is: Go Army.”
The Marblehead Chorus officially concluded the ceremony with performances of “The National Anthem” and “Marblehead Forever.“
