ORDER-2019-107 : A Resolution in Recognition of the Melrose Veterans Memorial Middle School Students for their hard work and efforts as members of Operation Resilient Club.

Transcript (~14 min @ 19:28)

Speakers identified by voice; unnamed voices are numbered within this recording. Auto-caption text — verify against the video.

▶ 19:29 Shawn M. MacMaster: comment is now closed alderman mcmaster madam president i would move to take order number 2019-107

▶ 19:37 Jennifer L. Lemmerman: out of order second alderman mcmaster makes a motion to take order 2019-107 a resolution in recognition of the melrose veterans memorial middle school students for their hard work and efforts as members of operation resilient club seeing that we have many members in the chamber this evening the order or the motion is seconded by um alderman mortimer all in favor any opposed

▶ 20:04 Scott M. Forbes: the orders before you madam president like to make immediate consideration on this order

▶ 20:06 Jennifer L. Lemmerman: alderman forbes is requesting immediate consideration of the order second this is actually uh just if anyone objects is there any objection to immediate consideration seeing none

▶ 20:18 Jennifer L. Lemmerman: it is now we will now take up that order motion to spend the rules who may approach the podium we

▶ 20:22 Jennifer L. Lemmerman: We have a motion by Alderman Forbes, seconded by Alderman Mortimer. All in favor? Aye. Any opposed? We are now under suspension of rules. I invite the sponsors to come forward. Thank you.

▶ 20:40 Scott M. Forbes: Good evening. Good evening. Just a few words from me, and then I'm going to hand this off to my colleague, Alderman McMaster. As a veteran from the city of Melrose, I'm truly grateful to be affiliated with such an outstanding group of servicemen and servicewomen. And we are all very proud to be represented by such an outstanding group of middle school students that are here with us this evening. These operation trips are special because they allow us to tell the stories of our local heroes who aren't with us anymore. To have the capacity to recognize their service both to our country and our community is something that we can all be proud of. These experiences bridge younger generations of students with older generations of veterans, while keeping our veteran population both connected and engaged, not only with each other, but to the community that they call home.

▶ 21:32 Scott M. Forbes: I always like to say that history is local, and what we do at a local level truly matters, and these trips are a collaborative effort by our Veterans Service Office, Office, our Veterans Advisory Board, and of course the young men and women that are here with us this evening. This is also one of the times where I know that I'm truly proud to be standing before everybody here in this chamber as a Melrose veteran myself. I'll now hand this off to my good friend and colleague Alderman Shawn McMaster, who was fortunate to go on this trip and experience these things for himself as well. Thank you Alderman Forbes.

▶ 22:07 Shawn M. MacMaster: Before I read the resolution and call the students up, just a few remarks. I'd I'd like to first acknowledge and thank three individuals without whom this event would not be possible. The first is Colonel Robert Driscoll, who unfortunately is unable to join us this evening. He is away with a military obligation, so he sends his regrets. Also like to recognize Lieutenant Colonel Karen Burke, who is our veteran services officer in Melrose, miss lisa lord who many of you know especially our school representatives is one of our history teachers here in melrose they did a tremendous job planning organizing and dealing with all of the various logistics that made this trip possible i'd also like to thank the parents many of whom chaperoned the trip and some are here with us this evening but most importantly i'd really like to acknowledge and thank the students who participated as the students know this was more than a field trip this was a meaningful and life-changing experience that they in large part made possible because of their contributions and their contributions were made in two ways the first is by virtue of all of their hard work and the efforts that they put into preparing for the trip what the students did was not just go on the trip they actually spent months preparing for it and they shared what they learned on their way down to Washington DC with one another with the parents and with the veterans on the trip they also shared what they learned and some of their work while they were down in Washington DC at the National Air Force Memorial and on their way back they also participated in an interactive learning experience as well as participated in various ways to make the Memorial Day assembly which really commenced what we know in Melrose to be a robust Memorial Day weekend possible through their through their work I think it's important to really

▶ 24:28 Shawn M. MacMaster: emphasize the second contribution and that is the support that the students provided to the veterans on the trip in particular one veteran who is a veteran of the Vietnam War and this particular veteran traveled to Washington DC for first time in 50 years and he visited the Vietnam War Memorial and he with the help of the students located the name of three of his comrades and friends one of whom was his best friend from childhood Michael Gazzetti from Cambridge who at age 19 was killed in action after having only been in Vietnam for two weeks and it was really the support of the students who literally stood by this veteran's side that made this experience i think particularly impactful for for everybody on it but very memorable and important to the veteran himself who said to me that because of this experience he is now in a position for the first time after 50 years to help other veterans and he said that he's in that possession position because of the help that the students provided to him he described that as revitalizing his spirit so for me what was so impactful about this experience was really the bonds that were established by everyone on the trip but especially between the students and the veterans when i was about the same age as them i had an opportunity to travel to washington dc as well as part of a trip but to this day that trip remains a distant memory It was a trip where we visited memorials and landmarks, but we did so without any context, without any personal perspective to demonstrate the gravity of war, the sanctity of human life and the lasting impact of war on the lives of those who lived through it, on their family members and on the family members of those who never returned home. So the experience from which these students benefited is a unique one that I know they will carry with them forever an experience that we should be proud of as a city and that i know that they're very proud to be part of so at this point if we could call the students up to stand with us as i read the uh the resolution and miss lord and lieutenant colonel burke if you'd like

▶ 27:23 Shawn M. MacMaster: to come up as well i will now read the resolution city of melrose and board of aldermen a resolution and recognition of the Melrose Veterans Memorial Middle School students for their hard work and efforts as members of the Operation Resilient Club offered by Alderman Shawn M. McMaster and Alderman Scott M. Forbes. Whereas the Melrose Veterans Memorial Middle School 2019 Operation Resilient Club is the eighth installment of what has become an overwhelming success story in the community and whereas in prior years Operation Resolve, Thank You, Gettysburg, respect remember and recognition sent our local Melrose veterans on historical missions to Washington DC the Liberty Bell the battlefield of Gettysburg in the United States Military Academy at West Point and whereas last year operation United provided local Afghanistan veterans the opportunity to travel to Washington DC to visit historical sites which included the American veterans disabled for life memorial in the National Guard Memorial Museum, and whereas this year, the Melrose Veterans Memorial Middle School 2019 Operation Resilient Club's mission was to raise local awareness and the funding necessary to send our local Melrose veterans from all generations on a historical mission of their own to Washington DC to visit historical sites, which included the United States Marine Corps Iwo Jima Memorial, the World War II Memorial, the Korean War Memorial, Vietnam War Memorial, the National 9-11 Pentagon Memorial, the United States Air Force Memorial, and Arlington National Cemetery, where students paid their respects at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the gravesite of General John Rogers Galvin, a four-star general in the United States Army who was born in Melrose, Massachusetts 90 years ago this year. Whereas members of the Operation Resilient Club spent a considerable amount of time preparing for the operation conducted independent research leading up to the operation presented what they learned to Melrose veterans as part of the operation debriefed and reflected on their experience when they returned home and participated in a school assembly for their peers in the Melrose community to commence the city's Memorial Day weekend activities and whereas this year's mission was yet another overwhelming success and whereas the Melrose veterans Memorial Middle School 2019 Operation Resilient Club has successfully completed its mission by raising community awareness through the recognition of our local veterans community and should be recognized for their outstanding work and dedication and be it resolved we the members of the Board of Aldermen do hereby express our sincere appreciation to the Melrose Veterans Memorial Middle School students for their hard work and efforts as as members of the Operation Resilient Club on behalf of the city of Melrose and in recognition hereof. Be it further resolved that on this third day of June in the year 2019, a copy of this resolution be spread upon the records of the Board of Aldermen, duly attested by the members of the Board of Aldermen.

▶ 30:32 Speaker 7: Thank you all.

▶ 30:46 Shawn M. MacMaster: We also have with us our State Representative Paul Broder, who I believe wants to come forward give a presentation to the students so I'll be brief because this is an

▶ 31:06 Paul Brodeur: outstanding and comprehensive resolution I just want folks to know that this is probably my I don't know umpteenth time being able to be here and do this for the students of today operation resilient and I like to come because you should understand both faculty and staff and students that this is something that that is very unique within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and maybe the country as a whole. A lot of kids, particularly in eighth grade, go on trips either to New York City or to our nation's capital to learn about history, to see the living monuments, to see what made the country what it is today and the greatness that you can almost feel in Washington. But nobody that I'm aware of brings along their veterans. And that is something that did start some years ago, and it is a credit to really the community and the administration that we have been able to sustain that and keep it coming. And so to the students, I do have resolutions for you here in recognition of your service to veterans and your service in Operation Resilient. I will distribute them to you down there because I know these folks have more work to do. But thank you very much for letting me address you today, and thank you guys again for what you've done for our veterans.

▶ 32:36 Peter D. Mortimer: madam president I make a motion for a recess please we have a motion made by

▶ 32:39 Jennifer L. Lemmerman: alderman Mortimer for a brief recess to bring the students up for photos second by Alderman Boisselle all in favor aye opposed we are recessed for a few

▶ 33:03 Jennifer L. Lemmerman: minutes thank you thank you do we have a motion on that order motion to place the

▶ 33:08 Jennifer L. Lemmerman: remainder of the order on file the motion to place the order on file second Alderman Mortimer second by Alderman Lipper Garipay Beattie and all in favor that motion will be placed on file we could have communications from her

▶ 33:22 Speaker 5: honor the mayor and other city officials order 2 0 1 9-1 0 9 acceptance of MGL chapter 44 section 53 F 3 quarters establishment of a peg access and cable related special fund number 9 2 9 2 2 that order will go to appropriations 2 0