Veteran Steven Gazzillo, a Marine who served in Iraq, struggled to control his emotions as he talked about three comrades who died while still in their 20s while battling for control of Fallujah. Watch video
NORTHAMPTON – While many of those who gathered for the annual Florence Memorial Day ceremonies Monday harked back to friends and loved ones they have lost in the service of America, Steven Gazzillo’s memories were painfully fresh.
In his keynote address at the event, the Easthampton resident, who did two tours of duty with the Marines in Iraq, recalled three of his comrades who died during and after the taking of the Iraqi city Fallujah.
“In a different and better world, none of us would ever have heard of the place,” he said.
Gazzillo’s speech marked the highlight of the program sponsored by the city’s Veterans Council. As in past years, the parade down Main Street in the village of Florence featured scout troops, elected officials and the Northampton High School marching band. Crowds cheered from both sides of the street and fighter jets roared overhead.
Over the decades, the parade has taken place in times of war and peace, the common thread always being the soldiers who have died defending their country. James Svoboda, an Army veteran who served in Korea, has come out for the event every year since he got back from that conflict.
“We come every year, and it means ‘thank you’ for those who went and the ones who are lucky enough to still be here,” said the 77-year-old Florence native.
The Lepore family of Northampton took in the parade for the first time Monday.
“We’re new to the area,” said Timothy Lepore, who watched from the sidewalk with his wife Kate, their son Homer, 2, and their seven-month-old daughter Greta.
Lepore said they have friends in the military they have not seen in a while because they were deployed abroad.
“This kind of thing keeps them in mind,” he said.
Gazzillo struggled to control his emotions as he talked about three comrades who died while still in their 20s. One was a sergeant who lost his life leading a rescue mission for a patrol that had been ambushed. Another was a lance corporal who gave up a career in finance to enlist after the Sept. 11, 2001, bombing of the World Trade Center. He died in 2004 when his squad came under mortar fire.
The most painful remembrance was of a friend nicknamed Iggy, who survived his tour in Iraq only to succumb to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, shooing himself in the head back home.
“This is why we are here today,” Gazzillo said, “to remember all those giving their lives for us.”
As always, the ceremony was punctuated with a rifle salute by the 10th Massachusetts Volunteers, a Civil War reenactment group. Steven Connor, Northampton’s Veterans Agent, also read the names of the city veterans who have died since last Memorial Day.