 I'd like to welcome all of you to our broadcast this morning for our Veterans Day ceremony. Although we couldn't gather in person due to COVID-19 restrictions, we are showcasing today's ceremony at various locations throughout town. So again, good morning. My name is Jeff Chung-Lo, Arlington's Director of Veterans Services. And Veterans Day is a day we recognize and thank the men and women who have served and continue to serve our nation. Although we're unable to gather in person to honor our veterans, it's important to acknowledge their service and sacrifices they have endured in order to preserve our freedom. In addition to our veterans, it's equally important to recognize the sacrifices made by their families while they served and for those that continue to serve in the military. Father Mark Bishop, a Navy veteran, will now deliver our invocation. Lord God, Creator and Author of Peace, as we are ever mindful of the costs paid for liberty we possess, we ask you to bless veterans and the members of the armed forces. Give them courage, hope, and strength. May they ever experience your firm support, gentle love, and compassionate healing. Be their power and protector, leading them from darkness to light. To you be all glory, honor, and praise now and forever. Amen. Members of the Arlington Police Department and Arlington Fire Department will present our nation's colors, followed by the playing of our national anthem. Arlington Fire Department will toll the bell 11 times. This time-honored tradition dates back to Armistice Day, World War I, marking the official end of World War I that took place on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918. Following World War II, the name of this day was officially changed to Veterans Day to honor our past and present veterans. I would like to introduce Representative Sean Garbley. He is at spy pond to offer his remarks. Good morning. It is a pleasure to be here. First I want to thank ACMI for broadcasting this Veterans Day observance. I want to start with first thanking Jeff Chunglow, our outstanding veterans head here in Arlington, and I want to thank the Veterans Council for all Jeff and the Council does for veterans in the town of Arlington every day throughout the year. We owe them a debt of gratitude. You know, today is a little different than our Veterans observance is in the past. Most of the time we are together in a large group where we're able to talk to one another and cherish the history of our veterans and the roles that they have played in Arlington, in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and throughout our country. This year is a little different. 2020 has not been an easy time for any of us. And so first I want to wish you and your family well, either your company family or an individual. I hope you're healthy. I hope you stay healthy. Also I would be remissed as Arlington State Representative on this Veterans Day that I didn't send my condolences to all of those over 200,000 families across our country who have lost loved ones and individuals to this pandemic, including the absolute atrocities that took place at the Holy Oak Soldiers' home. We cannot forget that in many ways it was criminal neglect that led to the death of way too many veterans who were not ready to die. The Attorney General has pressed charges against the individuals. Hearings are being conducted and justice will prevail. But it shouldn't have had to have been that way. These veterans should be alive today. And even though we would remember them on Memorial Day, because this happened so recently, we should remember what happened to them, how they passed, and pledge that it never happens again. You know, in terms of how I see Veterans Day and the importance of it, our society, even during now, during a pandemic and a tumultuous election season that never seems to end, let's look at Arlington throughout our history. Let's look at the young men and women just sitting in class at Arlington High School, not far from here. When at 18 years old, they were called to duty and they left Arlington High. They left Arlington. They left everything they knew and went overseas to fight for an idea, a democratic idea, to fight for our country, to fight for us, and sacrifice their lives, to sacrifice their future happiness, their family's future happiness, for that American ideal, that American promise that veterans all around the country are still fighting for today. And it is important to remember that, to remember that sacrifice, to remember the promise that they fight for. So what can we do as civilians? What can we do as members of our society? First, we can always remember our veterans. And sure, we thank them on this day because that's the important and right thing to do, but we really should be remembering and thanking them every single day throughout the year. And remember how many veterans are homeless, how many veterans are unemployed, how many veterans come back from overseas with undisclosed mental health needs that go without treatment for years. It's unconscionable and it needs to stop. And we as civilians can help by making sure that our veterans get the, well first of all, get the support that they need, get the accolades they deserve. You know, our veterans don't come home overseas and expect parades, right? That's not why they do it. They do it for a burning desire of love for this nation and what it means to them and their families and to all of us. But they deserve respect and they deserve support. And that's what this day is all about, that we remember their sacrifices, but that we come together as a society and say no more homeless veterans, no more veterans living with mental health needs that don't get serviced. And that's why we're here today. Even amidst a global pandemic, it is absolutely critical to come together to say thank you and to always remember our veterans and their families' sacrifice. The chairman of the select board, Mr. John Hurd, will now offer his remarks. He'll be coming to us from Robbins Memorial Park. Good morning and thank you all for joining us for this broadcast on Veterans Day to honor all the veterans who have served both locally and nationally in the United States Armed Forces. I'd like to first thank our veterans coordinator, Jeffrey Chunglow, for all that he does for our veterans and ACMI for organizing this event to honor our veterans even in the midst of a global pandemic. I would like to thank the Arlington Veterans Council for all that they do for our veterans here locally all year long. And I'd like to particularly thank all of the men and women who have ever worn the uniform for the United States Armed Forces. This is your day. On Veterans Day, we come to honor the incredible sacrifice that our veterans have made when they were called to serve our country. We can never fully repay them, but today we remember them, we honor them, and most importantly, we thank them. Particularly today, I'd like to recognize two groups in Arlington that employ a large number of veterans, the Arlington Fire Department and the Arlington Police Department. These two organizations are filled with men and women who chose to serve their country abroad and then came home and decided to continue their service locally in their fire department and the police department. I thank them both. Let us also not forget the struggles that many veterans face when they return from war. So today, when you see a veteran, please take the time to thank them, to honor them, and to let them know that you are truly grateful for the service that they have made to our country. And in closing, I'd like to read a quote from President Ronald Reagan on Veterans Day. We remember those who were called upon to give all a person can give, and we remember those who were prepared to make that sacrifice if it were demanded of them in the line of duty, though it never was. Most of all, we remember the devotion and gallantry with which all of them ennobled their nation as they became champions of a noble cause. Thank you. Mr. Adam Chaptilane, Arlington's town manager will offer his remarks from the newly renovated Buzzlefield Memorial. My name is Adam Chaptilane, and I'm proud to serve as Arlington's town manager. I'd like to welcome everybody to today's virtual Veterans Day ceremony. And thank you all for taking the time to watch today as we honor our veterans in Arlington. I also want to start by thanking our Director of Veteran Services, Jeff Chunglow, as well as our Veterans Council for putting this together today. It's unfortunate that we can't come together as we normally do and march up Mass Ave to the center of town to fire headquarters, but yet it's still important for us to stop, pause, and reflect today on Veterans Day about the bravery, the selflessness, the service, and the sacrifice of our veterans. Today I want to share a story about what I've recently learned reading the book that was written and recently published by our Director of Veteran Services, Jeff Chunglow. He published a book called The Rescue of Boxer 22, and it chronicles really the amazing story of an operation in Laos during the Vietnam War to rescue two pilots who were fallen in enemy territory. And this story really chronicles an amazing mission that highlights the bravery and the selflessness and the sacrifice of those who serve in our armed forces. And ultimately this mission resulted in saving one of those two pilots who fell that day, who was playing Crash that day. And an amazing story. In and of itself, it's an amazing testament to our Veterans and their bravery and their service. But in reading it, I also felt like that service and those veterans provided all of us as Americans an example that day. An example that as Americans, we can't leave anyone behind, that we need to both care about ourselves, but be selfless and care about others. And I think as we all work every day to strive to create a more perfect union, the service and sacrifice of our veterans are the perfect example for us to aspire to. So thank you all again for tuning in today, and please today on Veterans Day, take some time to pause and reflect about the service and sacrifice of our veterans here in Arlington as well as across this great nation. Thank you. I'm honored to be here today to acknowledge the service of our nation's veterans. We are here today and we're able to enjoy our freedoms because for 244 years, whenever our freedom has been threatened, brave men and women have answered the call to serve their country. From all branches of the service, they risked and sometimes gave their lives for our nation. We owe a debt of gratitude to all veterans that have served and continue to serve this great nation. Today, I would like to acknowledge the service of our Vietnam veterans. They served at a time when many of their peers and the general public were denouncing military service as immoral. They served while others avoided service, and they served without the support that our nation usually has given to the fighting forces. It's been said that the forgotten men and women of the Vietnam conflict are those who have served. They're the silent heroes of their generation. We need to ensure that the 6.5 million men and women who serve their country during the Vietnam era, the silent heroes, are not forgotten. America's veterans have secured the liberty which the founding fathers sought to establish here in the new world with its deep roots planted here in Arlington. This nation is what it is today because of the efforts and the sacrifices of our veterans. It's been America's citizen soldiers who have convinced adversaries throughout history that we are serious about defending our nation and its system of values. We celebrate Veterans Day once a year, but during the other 364 days please embody the remarks inscribed on the medals that were awarded to thousands of veterans who served during World War I. The inscription reads, a grateful nation remembers. Father Mark Bishop will now deliver our benediction. Oh God, by whose mercy the faithful departed find rest. Look kindly on your departed veterans who gave their lives in the service of their country, granted they may share in the joy of your heavenly kingdom. Amen. This concludes our ceremony. I would like to thank the Arlington Police Department and the Arlington Fire Department Honor Guards for their participation in the ceremony. Thank you to all of our speakers today for their remarks and a special thank you to the staff at ACMI for preparing and airing today's ceremony. I would like to thank the residents of Arlington for your continued support and recognition of veterans. To all of my fellow veterans, thank you for your service. Thank you.