Milford To Mark Veterans Day With Parade, Ceremony

MILFORD, MA — Milford will hold two main Veterans Day events this year. A parade will kick off at 10 a.m. beginning near the IHOP restaurant off Route 109. After the parade, the Milford Medal of Liberty Committee and Citizens for Milford will host a ceremony at Draper War Memorial Park.

Here's more from a Citizens For Milford press release:

The Milford Medal of Liberty Committee and Citizens for Milford invite all area veterans and
residents to attend the Third Veterans Day Ceremony, to be held Monday, November 11 in
Draper Memorial Park, weather permitting. The ceremony will begin immediately following the
conclusion of the Veterans Day Parade at approximately 11:00 a.m.

The Veterans Day Ceremony will begin with a prayer from Father Peter Joyce of St. Mary of the
Assumption Church, followed by the sharing of war-time stories by area veterans and their
families. Medal of Liberty Chairperson Peter Scandone will preside over the ceremony. Music
will be performed by the Milford High School Marching Band and a Milford High School
quartet.

Making remarks regarding military service will be US Army veteran Steven Petak speaking
about his service in Vietnam; Angela Manella Kantor sharing the experiences of her father US
Air Force Lt Col Joseph Richard Manella as a prisoner of war during World War II, and Ed
Cormier speaking about his brother US Marine Corps Private Eugene Cormier, who was killed in
Vietnam during Operation KINGFISHER.

The Field of Flags, a tribute acknowledging the service and sacrifice of our veterans and active
military personnel, will be installed in Draper Memorial Park the Wednesday before Veterans
Day. Parade and ceremony attendees are invited to walk among the flags and monuments in
Draper Park and read the names of the veterans and active military who are memorialized and
honored there.

Peter Scandone says, “We invite all area residents to join us for the Veterans Day Parade and
Ceremony to demonstrate our support and gratitude for all the Milford men and women who
have valiantly served our country.”

If the weather is excessively cold or rainy, the committee will hold the ceremony inside at the
Italian American Veterans Hall (4 Hayward Field, Milford) following the parade. Notification
about this change of venue will be posted on the Citizens for Milford Facebook page and website
on Sunday, November 10. If the parade is cancelled due to rain, the Veterans Day Ceremony will
be held in the spring following the Memorial Day Parade.

The Milford Medal of Liberty Committee and Citizens for Milford extend sincerest gratitude to
the Milford Veterans Services Department and the Milford Parks Commission for
enthusiastically supporting both the Veterans Day Ceremony and the Draper Memorial Park
Field of Flags project. We also thank the leadership and students in the Milford High School
Music Department for performing at the Veterans Day Ceremony.

Draper Memorial Park occupies a triangle of land in the downtown Milford area, located at the
intersection of Congress Street and Main Street. The park features monuments that list the names
of veterans who served during World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. Standing
tall in the park is the statue of General William Franklin Draper by sculptor Daniel Chester
French, whose work also includes the massive marble statue of Abraham Lincoln in the Lincoln
Memorial in Washington, D.C. The care and management of Draper Memorial Park falls under
the authority of the Milford Parks Commission and Milford Veterans Services.