On Saturday, January 19th, Compass on the Bay hosted a special ceremony for Veterans at the Memory Support Assisted Living Community. Residents, associates and families gathered with members from the Thomas J. Fitzgerald VFW Post 561 to share experiences and recognize veterans for their brave service. Several elected officials were also present, and Boston’s Deputy Commissioner of Veterans’ Services, Robert Santiago, read a citation from the Mayor’s Office.
The Master of Ceremonies was Merydith Tuit, who is the Senior Vice Commander of the William E. Carter American Legion Post #16 in Mattapan. The Fitzgerald Post gave each of the veterans US Hand Flags and a hat that corresponds with the branch of the service in which they served. The flags were enthusiastically waved by the Veterans when the hymns from their branches of service were being played. The branches that were represented by the resident veterans were the United States Army, United States Navy, The United States Air Force and the United States Coast Guard.