Many have asked why Somerville is not celebrating Memorial Day with the annual parade. We asked the Director of Veterans Services Ted D. Louis-Jacques about the matter, and he shared the letter that went out to the Veterans community.

May 21, 2022

Dear Veterans Community,

We hope you will join us in honoring those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country at our annual ceremony at Veterans Cemetery on Memorial Day. As the Director of Veterans Services, I’d also like to clarify that the Memorial Day Parade is a complex event that takes months of planning. Mid-December was the latest we could wait on making a decision to hold the parade and at the time we were in the peak of omicron with no guarantee that the pandemic would subside by spring. So at that time, we made the difficult decision to hold just the ceremony this year.

Planning for many other events is more nimble, and decisions on those were made at much later dates by other departments who run those events. But as an office committed to serving those who protect our nation, as we watched omicron surge, we felt it was our duty to protect the health of our community.

I thank you for your understanding and hope you will join us on Monday. As always, should you have any further questions, comments, or concerns please do not hesitate to contact me directly.

veterans@somervillema.gov or 617-625-6600 ext 4700.

Sincerely,
Ted D. Louis-Jacques
U.S. Army Veteran
Director of Veterans’ Services