By Joseph A. Curtatone

(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries of The Somerville News belong solely to the authors of those commentaries and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville News, its staff or publishers.)

First, some thoughts about the Memorial Day Parade:
Frank Senesi, who retired last December after eight years as Somerville’s Veterans Services Director, was famous for running a great Memorial Day Parade.  He had such good luck with the weather that we were beginning to think he supernatural powers.  Frank never confirmed that suspicion, but he never denied it, either.

As a volunteer, Frank was a major contributor to this year’s parade – and last Sunday was, as ordered, another gorgeous day – but I know he would will join me in saying that credit for the success of the 2012 Memorial Day parade belongs to our new Veterans Services Director, Jay Weaver.

And, make no mistake about it, it was a big success: an estimated 12,000 folks attended the parade and various related ceremonies throughout the day.  It’s a day on which Somerville puts its best foot forward –a day when our focus is on the service and the sacrifice given so fully and freely by the men and women of our armed services, past and present – and the loved ones who bore those sacrifices along with them. Above all, it’s a day we honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice on our behalf.

It’s a day of joy, pride, sorrow and remembrance. But it must be only the beginning: the debt of gratitude we owe our veterans and their families is too great to be paid out only one day each year.

Here in Massachusetts – and nowhere more than here in Somerville – we take that debt very seriously. We know that we live in an era when fewer Americans share more of the burden of our military obligations – and that they serve for longer periods.  We know that the mental and physical toll of repeated combat deployments can be heavy.  We know that the very advances in emergency medical care that save so many lives also mean that more veterans face a lifetime of continuing pain and disability, both physical and psychological.

We know that, in a fragile economy, it can be difficult for even the most able, energetic and talented veterans to transition into the civilian workforce after they leave the military.

And we know that the number of Somerville veterans claiming their rightful benefits is growing with each passing year.  The stats show that, on average, the population of veterans served by the city’s Department of Veterans Service grows by about five members each year, and that each new veteran enrolled for services adds about $7,000 per year to the city’s Veterans Services budget, which will approach $300,000 in the fiscal year that ends on June 30th.

It’s very important to recognize that 75 percent of this budget is directly reimbursed by the state, and that Somerville didn’t come up with this program on its own:  state law requires every city and town to provide a veterans services agent to help local veterans gain access to such state benefits as financial assistance, housing support, health care, tuition assistance, and burial.  Here in Somerville, our two-person Veterans Services Department also assists veterans in obtaining federal benefits, including disability compensation, pensions, home loan guarantees, GI Bill education benefits and survivors’ benefits.

Remarkably, however, many veterans – especially younger vets – aren’t making the fullest possible use of the benefits to which they are entitled.  Sadly, many of the veterans who aren’t getting the support they’ve earned are the very ones who need it most: the unemployed, the disabled, the heads of households seeking to support growing families.

That’s why, in the coming year, Jay Weaver will be stepping up the city’s efforts to connect with returning veterans and plug them into the support services they’ve earned.  Jay, an experienced attorney who served with 101st Airborne Division in Afghanistan, will be reaching out to the veteran’s community through email, through social media like Twitter and Facebook, and through the city’s web and cable resources.

But you can help, too. If you know a Somerville veteran who hasn’t checked in with the City’s Veteran Services Department, let them know that there are good reasons to call 311 and ask for more information.

I know that the usual message at this time of year is that Memorial Day should be about much more than cookouts and weekend getaways and the start of the summer season.  All that is true, of course, but honoring our veterans and their families on Memorial Day is only the beginning: honoring their service and sacrifice is something this city will continue to do throughout the coming year, and for all the years to come.