 First, I'd like to mention the passing of Joe Connors, a Gold Star father and army veteran who passed away on October 28. Joe survived by his wife, Joan, and her family. Both Joe and Joan always participated in the events, and they supported me ever since I've taken this position, being this greatly liked, your family, Joan, and we'll keep him in our thoughts and prayers. The Commonwealth has established a Medal of Liberty to be presented to the next of kin of service members and four veterans from the Commonwealth who died as a result of either combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder, or a condition resulting from a service-connected traumatic brain injury, or a combat-connected disease, conditional injury, related to the exposure of toxins or the sides or other harmful agents. This is for active reserve and national guard troops, and if you need additional information or want any additional information, please contact my office. Following the ceremony today, we're gonna have a bunch of at the community center, 27 Maple Street, provided to attend, and that will be from 12 to two. The other thing that I will be doing, following the luncheon, we're in conjunction with the luncheon, I'll be reviewing the new PAC DAPT. So the PAC DAPT is a new legislation for the VA to expand benefits to veterans from the Vietnam War to present. And I'll also have some very important information on the Camp Legion water contamination issue. So I think that's very important, and there's a lot of misinformation or misleading information out there, and I think it's important that all of our veterans and families should know that. Lastly, I'm extremely pleased to announce that this past Monday at the select board, the select board unanimously approved the renderings for our new veteran memorial park. So I'd like to thank the members of the board. Oh, in conjunction with the luncheon, I'll be putting out a presentation related to the new design and the elements that will be installed into the new park. So we're all welcome to attend. I'd like to announce or acknowledge the following individuals. Representative Dave Rogers, Leonard Diggins, our select board chair, members of the select board, Sandy Fuller, our town manager, members of Arlington's military service organizations, members of the Arlington Veterans Council, and all veterans here today. So for you that are sitting, if you could please stand, members of the Boston Skyline Chorus will stand on National Anthem and remain standing for our new vocation. The dawn's early light and bright stars. Deliver the vocation. I'll be in court with your tradition as I pray in court with mine. Heavenly Father, on the Spectrum's Day, we gather in humble gratitude for all the sacrifices of the men and women of the armed forces and that they have endured to ensure our freedoms. All who serve honorably deserve our gratitude and honor, especially those who made the ultimate sacrifice. Please hold our service men and women in your strong arms, cover them with your sheltering grace and your presence as they stand in the gap for our protection. We also remember the families of our troops, especially gold star families. We ask for your unique blessings, to fill their homes as we pray for your peace, provisioned hope, and strength to fill their lives. May the members of our armed forces be supplied with the courage to face each day and may they trust in the Lord's mighty power to accomplish each task. Let our military brothers and sisters feel our love and support. Lord of all nations, may we take time to reflect on the great blessings we share as a nation and as a people. Our blessings have come at a high cost to others. May you remember these sacrifices always and with deep gratitude. We ask that you grant wisdom to the leaders of our armed forces. Guide and direct them in their decisions. May they be led by your will and your heart as they pursue our nation's freedom. We continue to pray for peace in our world. In your holy name we pray. Amen. Please be seated. On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, the fighting of World War I ended in 1918. This war has been referred to as the war to the end of war and November 11th became a day of worldwide celebration. Following the war this day was designated as armistice day honoring veterans that served their country. In 1954, following World War II and the Korean War, this day was renamed Veterans Day to honor all veterans who served in the military. Remark this occasion by tolling the bell 11 times in recognition of the end of World War I and to honor all of our veterans. Chief Kelly in the Arlington Fire Department will tolling the bell 11 times, upholding this time-honored tradition. I'd like to call upon Sandy Puller, our town manager to offer his remarks. Thank you, Chief. Thank you, everybody, for inviting me today. It's my honor to be here. I'd like to start with a quote. The willingness of which our young people are likely to serve in any war, no matter how it's justified, shall be directly proportional to how they perceive the veterans of earlier wars who were treated and appreciated by their nation. That came from President George Washington. We are here in Arlington, the site, really, of the foundations of our country. You can all go along Manusab and see the markers for various places. During Patriots' Day, where battles took place, which was the bloodiest part of that Patriots' Day battle right here in Arlington, you can see that on that day, people stood up. They volunteered. They sacrificed their safety and their lives to create a new nation founded on freedom, on life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. And every day, we walk on that hologram. And ever since that day, the men and women of Arlington, those of you here today, have continued to protect our great country, to defend our freedom, and to defeat our enemies. You are here today, you veterans of Arlington. You've been a key part of that tradition. You served your country when you were asked to step forward. You served at home, and many of you served abroad. We in Arlington are proud of you and the sacrifices you made for your country, the time you gave, the everyday lives you postponed, the bravery you showed in the face of danger, and the respect of physical and emotional pains that some of you have endured. Now, I am not a veteran, but I am a beneficiary of what veterans have done for me and our country. I do have a lot of veterans in my family. I have a great, great, great, I don't know how many, great grandfather who served in the Revolutionary War, another who fought in the Civil War, a grandfather fought in World War I, and my father maned 155 millimetre howitzer in Northern France in the Second World War. And I have heard many, many stories about their service. Last night, I called my 92-year-old uncle who served in Korea, and I told him I'd be talking to you today. We talked about his service and about my dad's and about the service of all veterans. And he said something that really stuck with me. He asked, without veterans, where would the United States be? Luckily, we do not have to enter that country because we have our veterans. Because you were here, you protected our freedoms. You set an example for people around the world what Americans can do when we serve our country. You kept generations of Americans free. So today on behalf of the town of Arlington, the town manager, the town where the Revolutionary War started, the town that changed its name honored the veterans of the Civil War. I would like to offer our humble thanks, our eternal gratitude, and our never-ending respect for each and every one of you. Thank you all. Thank you, Sandy. Appreciate your comments and your family history, because it was very nice. I'd like to invite the chair of the SLUK board, Mr. Len Diggins, to offer his remarks. Thanks to everyone gathered here today, especially Jeff Trumbull, our host of the Arlington Fire Department, my colleagues from Select Corps, I don't like this, and most of the organization that's in this area in front of us, our colleagues, and our church leaders, and the people who are in the connections of those very, but our mother passed me yesterday, and I know that, you know, we'll keep her in our thoughts and prayers, and in our hearts and minds, you know. So, we're speaking on it, you know. My father, my party's father was in the army, and he was on it between at the time the flag was raised. He was rather pulled on by the flag raising, because he was with the SLUK, but his CEO about the best way to act radiantly. The soldiers near him felt the same way, because they were just trying to stay alive. Although their individual contributions to the war effort may have been small, they were nonetheless meaningful, and very much appreciated, even if they, like Mr. Erbach, rarely talked about their experiences. Of course, we hope and strive for a world in which wars and international conflicts are a thing in the past, but that does not seem to be our future, at least in the near term. A society that has benefited from, and will continue to lead our armed forces, we have and obligations as important members of our armed forces, even more once they become veterans. We also have an obligation to make sure that all segments of our society share in the duties and responsibilities of our soldiers, for in doing so, we all share a strong bond, and have a great appreciation of the cause, as well as the glory of our service. So, what can I say that hasn't been said as we try to convey our deep gratitude? Probably not much, and there's certainly many here who can speak much more eloquently and passionately than I can, but what I do like to do most, however, is to work with others and to find new and free ways to substantiate our wars with actions. As with many dice, as I have, those who collaborate with me are the ones that deserve most of credit, just as the boots on the ground that fight the battles are the ones that deserve the real credit. So, up until a couple of days ago, the speech I was preparing was going to continue on something like this. The real credit for the luncheon that we are hosting for you at the Community Center goes to the staff at FoodLink, students of staff at Minuteman Vocational Tech, and of course, our dear Jeff Chungle. Last year, when I listened to our previous home manager, Adam Chaplin, described how Jeff had transformed our Veterans Day celebration into this more majestic affair, and I wondered, how could we elevate the day even more? When I approached Jeff with the idea of doing a luncheon, he was all in immediately. FoodLink, Minuteman Tech, and Jeff joined forces with, excuse me, to put together a very nice meal for you, and it was clear that there was passion and effort. It was our first attempt to do something like this, and there was real excitement. The last, though, the best late plan sometimes unraveled with little notice and very little time to adapt. A key person that was responsible for the state survey to hot food became unavailable unexpectedly, but Jeff Chungle and our health and care, health and human services staff, were able to pivot and to get our friends at Dallas to come to the rescue. All in all, it was a superb effort, and I can't say I'm living good things about everyone involved, and their enthusiasm to show you how much we are truly grateful to you. Emma Lohenstein at FoodLink deserves extra special mention. She called on Head Network, they are called an army of FoodLink volunteers, and they responded in a most impressive way. We almost pulled off the original plan, even after the setback, but we aired on the side of caution because we needed a public setting these days to specifically allow them. That said, you are in for a nice treat, and as I'm sure that most of not all of you will agree, daggers is always good. You can always rely on your staff to provide high quality food. But wait, as they say, there's more, and I'm just gonna repeat what Jeff has told you, about what's gonna happen later on the day. Jeff, even when beyond putting on luncheon, and there will be two presentations, I hope you will like the plans for the new federal tutorial park. I know that my select board colleagues and myself were happy and pleased to approve them. I also hope that you will receive some useful, useful input insights from the presentation of the pack pack along with the campus to suggest us back. Your minds will be fed as well as your stomachs, and it will get much better than that. In any case, I hope that we have raised the bar and that you, all of us, will expect at least as much from us in the coming years. In closing, you deserve all that we can do for you and more. So let us challenge ourselves to prove our gratitude to you by endeavoring to do even more for you in the future, Jeff, that's better than double during your ranks. I'd like to invite Representative Dave Rogers to offer his remarks. Well, good morning, everybody, on this Veterans Day. And the most important thing I can say to the veterans is thank you. Those of us who never served cannot imagine the sacrifice, the challenges, and the burdens that you've carried. And we'll be forever grateful. And in my family, my father was an officer in World War II in the Navy. My uncle served. Sadly, I lost my uncle at 97 this year, and I got one final chance to get out and visit him in Michigan. And he was well, he's getting frail, but well enough to go out to lunch and to dinner. And what I was struck by, and it goes back to the remarks from our great town manager, Sandy Cooler, that George Washington commented, the willingness of those to serve today is how they see others were treated. When we went out to lunch and to dinner, my uncle had his World War II hat on, and he couldn't pay for anything. As soon as we went into any diner or any restaurant, people came up to him and thanked him for his service and offered to buy him a meal. And that happened three times in just the weekend that we visited. So I say that story so that the veterans here know, your service really is cherished and valued. And I've been thinking about liberty and freedom and our democratic way of life a lot these days. And we've seen what happened in Ukraine, a democratic country, where they were invaded by a dictator, they've lost over 100,000 people. And it's just a reminder that freedom and liberty aren't free. And our veterans stand on the line defending us and we'll be forever grateful for that. So on this Veterans Day, again, thank you for your service and have a good day. And Mike Sean Darwin to offer his remarks. Good morning, everyone. Jeff, thanks so much. Thanks to you and the Veterans Council for all the great work that you do throughout the year for veterans in our community. You truly are a safety net for so many veterans across our community and even across the Commonwealth. Good morning, everyone. It is an honor to be with all of you today as we come together as a community, as a Commonwealth and as a nation to reflect, to pay tribute, to remember, to say thank you. And most importantly, to honor our veterans who have served this country so distinctively. And it's important to think about that as well, especially with so many young people in the crowd. You know, when our lives get disrupted, you know, we can't go out to eat, we can't go to the movies, wherever we like to do, it can ruin our day. Imagine being a young person and you willingly decide to enlist to defend this nation. You decide to put everything that's going on in your life on hold to sacrifice your potential safety and the happiness of not only your future self, but your family members, your children, because you believe what you are fighting for is more important than happiness. That you are willing to sacrifice everything for this country. And there's not many people who would do that. And those who do are called veterans. They are our heroes. And it is important to reflect and to say thank you, right? I think we've seen a lot of that this week. We've seen a lot of that today, especially where people go on social media to give their thoughts and their thank yous to the veterans around the country, the veterans in their lives. Hopefully they display an American flag outside of their home, maybe even a green light bulb. Whatever they do, it is important to reflect and to say thank you. But in all honesty, it doesn't make a tremendous real difference in veterans' lives. And the reason for that is veteran homelessness is honestly up 40% in the last two years. Veteran suicide is up 30%. And veterans' unemployment is up 25% just within the last year. So if we wanna say thank you to our veterans, which I know everyone in this room wants to do, then there's some steps that we need to take. One is we need to find employers who are willing and able to hire a veteran. We also need to come together to make sure that we never again walk by a veteran who is sleeping on a parked bench or sleeping in a storefront in Harvard Square. And we absolutely need to come together and make sure that mental health care is there when our, it should be there for everybody, but especially when our veterans come home to give them the support that they need. I don't mean to downplay thanking a veteran, that is critical. But if we really wanna come together and make a difference in our veterans' lives, these are the three areas that we need to focus on. Homelessness, employment, and mental health. And I hope we think about that as we move on today. Jeff, I saw the renderings of the new memorial outside and at the town hall. They are tremendous. And I look forward to partnering with Rep Rogers and Senator Friedman, our municipal officials, to give you the tools, that means money, to help make it a reality. Thanks so much, everybody. I wanted to ask the Boston Skyline force to perform America the Beautiful. I'm sorry, let there be peace on our force, you guys are great. So, on the other hand, group 6-4-7-7-2, we're hoping to lead our parade today. Thank you to the High School and hips from Kidcare, the Kindness Club, and the Brackett School for Graders that wrote cards for veterans. So we'll be passing those out, but I'd like to thank them as well. Celebration to honor all of Americans' veterans for their patriotism, love of country, and willingness to serve and sacrifice for their fellow citizens. We honor all of our veterans who placed their lives in the line to protect our freedom. Those men and women were ordinary people who heard the call of duty and they responded. They locked their families, their homes, and they put their lives on hold. They did this not seeking fame or recognition, but to serve in order to maintain our freedom. The freedom we enjoy is special, and this is why it must be defended. With the Russian invasion of Ukraine, we are witnessing the daily struggle for freedom and the fight against oppression. These are principles that the Ukrainian people have united around, and they are fighting and willing to die for the freedoms they once enjoyed. The defense of freedom is not just for those that served in the military. We all share a duty and responsibility. You don't have to be a member of the military to preserve our way of life. You can protect our freedom by maintaining it here at home. In order to preserve our freedom, we must take action. We can do this by volunteering in the community and educating our young adults on what it means to be an American. Over the past decade, we've witnessed a decline in national spirit and civility. For many Americans, they've lost their feeling of national pride and have taken our freedoms for granted. In the words of President Ronald Reagan, all great change in America begins at the dinner table. So I would ask that you put down your cell phones, turn off the television, and start a dialogue at dinner. Start by focusing on ways you can make positive changes within the community. I'm reminded of a quote from Martin Luther King Jr. If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way. Making a habit to do small things well day in and day out, regardless of how insignificant they may seem, will enable all of us to do big things well. Finally, I'd like to say thank you to all of our veterans. Be our quiet courage and exemplary service. You are the embodiment of the phrase, service above self. Let everyone use your example to improve our community and our nation so that we continue to be the symbol of hope and freedom that we've enjoyed for 246 years. May God bless our military, our veterans, and the United States of America. Thank you. I'd like to invite Father Bishop to deliver our benediction. Please be my prayer. Lord God, I want you to follow the cradle of mankind and author of peace, as we are ever mindful of the cost paid for the liberty we possess. We ask you to bless the members of our armed forces, past and present. Give them courage, hope, and strength. May they ever experience your firm support, gentle love, and compassion healing. Be their power and protector, leading them from darkness to light. To you, we all glory, honor, and praise now and forever. Amen. At this time, the Boston Skyline Chorus will close our ceremony with their rendition by calling.