Military households sporting yellow roses and blazers in honor of family members who died defending their nation discovered comfort this vacation season from state lawmakers and officers Monday who expressed poignant appreciation and ongoing assist for veterans.
Standing close to a Christmas tree adorned with images of fallen service members, Massachusetts Gold Star households — together with spouses, mother and father and younger youngsters — recited the names of their departed kin.
The father of U.S. Air Force member Jacob Galliher, the 24-year-old Pittsfield native who died in an plane crash off Japan on Nov. 29, learn his son’s title in the course of the annual ceremony as Gov. Maura Healey, Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll, Veterans’ Services Secretary Jon Santiago, Senate President Karen Spilka and different elected officers listened to the prolonged record of remembrances.
Healey stated she had met with the Galliher household alongside her companion Joanna Lydgate, Driscoll and Santiago. She described the household as “folks who did not wish to join this club, but did indeed receive that knock on the door letting them know that their son, their brother, Jake Galliher was killed.”
“To the members of the family of Air Force Staff Sgt. Galliher, we welcome you with love and open arms to the State House,” Healey stated. She added that Galliher served “so admirably.”
“He represents the very best, not only of Massachusetts, but of this nation, and we honor his memory and their memories today and always,” the governor stated.
Galliher’s father, Jon, stood teary-eyed in Memorial Hall because the ceremony concluded. He stated he was joined by about eight members of the family and shut mates of his son.
“I have to face the fact that he’s gone, and that’s like the first time I’ve ever done that so far. And it’s really hard,” Jon Galliher advised the News Service. “Just hopefully people don’t forget him.”
Maj. Gen. Gary Keefe, adjutant common of the Massachusetts National Guard, stated he was within the awe of the ceremony. The Gold Star neighborhood underscores the which means of sacrifice, Keefe stated, as he mirrored on Americans who overlook the price of defending the Constitution and the United States.
“And those that we lost, it’s important that folks see the gold sweaters and the gold roses, and they see the names and faces on this tree because that is what is important — it is the fact that the sacrifice your family members have made have allowed this country to be the greatest nation in the world,” Keefe stated. “God bless you, and I hope your holidays are filled with nothing but great memories of your loved ones.”
Driscoll, the daughter of a Navy veteran, stated that “nothing can compare to what our Gold Star families experience.”
“This holiday season, we honor you,” Driscoll stated. “We recognize the sacrifices that you have made, your families have undertaken. And everyday, we listen and we support you in whatever way we can. That’s something that Healey, Secretary Santiago and our entire administration is committed to as a priority.”
Spilka recalled how her father, a World War II veteran who liberated a focus camp, sustained psychological trauma that went untreated. Spilka stated her father’s so-called shell shock, which at this time can be referred to as post-traumatic stress dysfunction, led to “devastating” long-term penalties for her household.
“I know I can’t take away the pain of some of the service members that we lost to mental health struggles and their families, and I can say I share that pain with you,” Spilka stated. “But I am determined, along with the veteran senators that are here, Sen. Velis, Sen. Rush, Sen. Cronin, the veterans of the House, the administration, I am determined to do everything we can as a commonwealth to support both the mental and physical health of our active military members, veterans and their families who are still with us.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com”