— Photos by Fernando Cervantes Jr.

By Fernando Cervantes Jr.

On Monday, a Memorial Day ceremony was held at the Veterans Memorial Cemetery located between Alewife Brook Parkway and North Street. In attendance were several city council members and Mayor Joseph Curtatone.

The ceremony was presented by the Veterans Services of the City of Somerville and its Director Ted Louis-Jaques. About 30 people were in attendance, including ex-servicemen and the Somerville Fire Department.

Following introductions by Louis-Jaques, Mayor Curtatone spoke on the hardships experienced in the past year and its connection to Memorial Day.

“It’s been not a short year, but a long grueling and difficult time period that we are not done with, but that we’ve come around the corner. We can think about that difficulty and the loss, but we can never really imagine and compare that to the sacrifice the men and women who have served our nation have endured,” Curtatone said.

Following other remarks from council members and Vietnam War veteran Thomas White, Mayor Curtatone and City Council President Matthew McLaughlin placed a wreath in front of the World War II memorial inside the cemetery.

A moment of silence was held in memory of all the men and women who have served the United States.

Watch the full ceremony here