Veterans Day ceremony in Athol highlights service and sacrifice

ATHOL – Friends, family and local officials gathered in Memorial Hall at Athol Town Hall Tuesday to celebrate local veterans and remember those service members who gave their lives in service to this country.

The ceremony began with Bryan Lagimoniere, deacon of the North Quabbin Catholic Community, who offered the opening prayer. He asked that Americans remain “mindful of the cost paid for our liberties” and that they “remember those who are currently serving, both at home and those who are far away.”

He also asked for divine intervention to heal “those who carry the wounds of battle, both seen and unseen. Let us also pray for those young men and women who answered the call, as many of us here did so many years ago.”

After reading a proclamation from Gov. Maura Healey officially declaring Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025 to be Veterans Day in the Commonwealth, Scott Hume, president of the Athol Veterans Council, read the poem “Remember the Veterans,” written by Athol native Gordon Briggs, a fighter pilot who served in the Army Air Corps in World War II and died in 2011 at the age of 89.

“To the younger generation, I want to say that freedom is not an abstract idea. It is something that is protected every day by ordinary men and women doing extraordinary things. Let’s make sure the legacy of our service doesn’t live in history books or parades but in how we treat each other, how we care for those still serving, and how we stand up for the values that we swore to defend.”

Staff Sgt. Keith Morris

“We are the veterans of World War II, of Korea, Vietnam, and Desert Storm, too,” the poem begins. “We willingly answered our country’s call and did our best throughout it all; we served our country in many ways, in many places, and many ways…”

The featured speaker for the ceremony was Staff Sgt. Keith Morris of the Army National Guard. Morris enlisted in 2007, and in 2010, was deployed to Haiti to assist in recovery efforts following the devastation caused by a 7.0 magnitude earthquake. He has responded to three state emergencies and in 2022, was deployed to Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. He currently serves as a recruiter for the Guard.

Veterans Day began as Armistice Day in 1919, a year after the end of World War I. Congress changed the name to Veterans Day in 1954.

“But Veterans Day is more than a history lesson. It is a moment to pause and reflect on what military duty really means,” said Morris. “To those who have worn the uniform, it meant answering the call that was bigger than ourselves, knowing that comfort, safety, and sometimes even the understanding of others might not come easy. It meant working side by side with people from every background, every belief, every corner of this country and learning that unity,” created through serving with others “is one of the strongest bonds there is.

“To the younger generation, I want to say that freedom is not an abstract idea,” he added. “It is something that is protected every day by ordinary men and women doing extraordinary things. Let’s make sure the legacy of our service doesn’t live in history books or parades but in how we treat each other, how we care for those still serving, and how we stand up for the values that we swore to defend.”

Greg Vine can be reached at gvineadn@gmail.com.