Memorial Day Tradition in Medfield - All About Family

Memorial Day Tradition is a Family Affair in Medfield

According to history.com, Memorial Day is an American holiday, observed on the last Monday of May, honoring the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military.

For many years, it was tradition in Medfield to hold a Memorial Day parade and hold a ceremony at Baxter Park and continue to Vine Lake Cemetery where wreaths were placed at the Veterans Grave lot and wreaths tossed into the pond honoring those who gave their lives in service. The parade would conclude at the American Legion, Beckwith Post 110 hall. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the last Memorial Day parade in Medfield was in 2019 and when this tradition resumes, the ending place will be changed as the American Legion hall no longer exists.

Another long-standing tradition that has not been suspended or halted in over a century, is the planting of American flags on the military graves in Vine Lake Cemetery prior to Memorial Day. This tradition is tasked by the members of the American Legion Beckwith Post 110. Although many years have passed since this began, there are some very close connections within Post 110 that remain.

Just days ago on May 26th, five days before Memorial Day, Legion Post 110 Vice Commander (Legion Commander 2011, 2012) and Medfield resident, Frank Iafolla (USMC 1968-1970) along with a group of fellow veterans walked the paths and grounds of Vine Lake Cemetery placing and planting an American flag on every military gravesite. They quietly and respectfully placed flags on the graves of veterans so we never forget.

Approximately 1,200 American flags (as well as a few Canadian flags) were planted this year in Vine Lake Cemetery to remember and honor the service and sacrifice of the men and women who are in their final resting place. The flag planting tradition at Vine Lake Cemetery began after WWI in 1919. Fred Carlton (Barney) Chick, born in Medfield in 1898, served in the Army in WWI in France as a motorcycle dispatcher, and once home from the war, made it his mission to decorate the graves at Vine Lake cemetery by placing a flag on each site. Barney Chick was American Legion Commander in 1943, 1944 and he was Frank Iafolla’s grandfather.

Barney Chick passed away in 1957, but the family honored the importance of this tradition, so Chick’s son, Marshall Chick (US Army) took on this responsibility next and in 1988, Iafolla joined him. More recently, Iafolla’s cousin, John Chick (USN) moved back to this area and has been helping as well each year and cousin, Peter Iafolla took part this year too. John’s father, Robert Chick was American Legion Commander in 1967-68. Iafolla remembers a time, when he was a youngster around age 6, he was given the opportunity to ride in the back seat of his grandfather's Model-T as part of a Legion event in Boston.

Once taking over the role for Memorial Day flag planting, Iafolla recalls how proud his mother was watching him follow in the footsteps of his grandfather. “This is a family tradition that goes back to WWI”, he recalls her saying.

This year, after about 3 hours of decorating the graves and once all the flags were placed, the long-time friends enjoyed reminiscing about the old days as 4 in this group were 1st grade classmates; hanging out and enjoying each other's company is something they could not do last year after completing the planting.

Medfield is a special small town, but these kinds of family traditions which still exist more than 100 years later makes this small town and the people in it, extra special.

When you pass by Vine Lake Cemetery this weekend and see the flags flying, remember these souls and the Memorial Day tradition the Chick and Iafolla families have continued to undertake for over a century. It is a tradition of respect for the military, for our country and for the fallen.