Activities 2006

	December 5th - The Legion Lunch was held at Piccolino's in Shirley. 10th - Members will participate in the holiday party at the Bedford Veterans Hospital 12th - The regular meeting will be held at the COA Center at 1900.
	November 14th - The Legion Lunch will be held at Dan's Place in Ayer at 1130. There were six members present. 14th - The regular meeting will be held at the COA Center at 1900. October 10th - The regular meeting was held at the COA Center at 1900.
	September 19th - The Legion Lunch was held at Chip Shots in Littleton at 1130. There were three members present. 12th - The first regular monthly meeting was held at the COA Center at 1900. There were eight members present.
	August There are no regular meetings this month. 8th - The Legion Lunch was held at The Nashoba Club in Ayer at 1130. There were six members present.
	July There are no regular meetings this month. The post will provide a color guard for the Fourth of July parade in Ayer on 1 July at 1300. The Legion Lunch was held at Ah Gin Wongs in Ayer on Tuesday 11 July 2006 at 1130. There were seven members present.
	June The Legion Lunch was held Wednesday the 7th at Tiny's in Ayer at 1130. There were eight members present. 13th - The first regular monthly meeting to be held at the COA Center at 1900. There were thirteen members present. 27th - The second regular monthly meeting to be held at the COA Center at 1900.
	May The Legion Lunch was on Wednesday the 3rd at O'Hanlons in Ayer at 1130. There were eight members present. The recipient of our $500 scholarship is Melanie Boisseau. 9th - The first regular monthly meeting to be held at the COA Center at 1900. 23rd - The second regular monthly meeting to be held at the COA Center at 1900. 25th - Place flags at Veteran's graves at Woodlawn and St. Mary's cemeteries at 1700.

27th - Memorial Day activities beginning at 0815 at Woodlawn Cemetery

The following article and picture were published in the Ayer Public Spirit on Friday 2 June 2006.

Memorial Day honors warriors, not war - By M.E. Jones, Correspondent

Nashoba Publishing AYER -- Acting Chaplain Frank Harmon, of the Joseph M. Connors American Legion Post 130, opened the Memorial Day observance with a prayer as pointedly inclusive as the national holiday itself.

”Today we honor our fallen warriors,” he said.

It is not the wars, but the warriors; not battles, but fallen men that Memorial Day honors, he said.

The causes they died for are “things that cannot be compromised and must be defended,” he said. “We pray for those still protecting our flag.”

The day’s honors should be shared with those who have lost loved ones in the nation’s wars, said post Commander Stephen Wentzell.

”We are here for those who fought and died, but don’t forget those left behind,” he said.

He cited Gold Star mothers Zelda Moore and May Watts, both of whom lost sons in World War II, and two women who lost their husbands, Rose Brennan and Suellen Kadlewicz.

Wentzell also recognized town notables and distinguished visitors including members of the Board of Selectmen, past and present American Legion commanders from posts in Groton and Shirley, and Ayer Legionnaires in the parade. They included Grand Marshals J. Walter Forest, a 50-year member; “senior statesman” Peter Laggis, a 55-year member; and a third, absent but remembered, honorary marshall named Henry Kilman, who lives in Florida.

Wentzell also thanked those who helped make the Memorial Day event successful including several volunteers and Parade Marshall James Lucchessi.

Memorial Day is a time to remind those “too young to remember” of the “bravery and devotion” of service men and women whose sacrifices must not be forgotten, said Hargraves.

”We salute and thank them for their labors of love to America,” he said. His tribute included the firefighters and police officers who perished on Sept. 11, 2001.

Resor noted the strong turnout of Scouts and sports teams at the Memorial Day event.

”What a wonderful tribute to the town of Ayer,” she said.

She also thanked those who are “putting their lives at risk” in order to serve the nation.

The keynote speaker was Anthony Bicchieri Jr., of American Legion Post 440 in Newton, where he was a past commander. His other past legion posts include state commander and national committee chairman. Bicchieri, who served in the U.S. Air Force from 1965 to 1969, is an honorary member of the Ayer post.

Summoning a sweeping vision of American war veterans over the years, Bicchieri memorialized them all.

”We look over the horizon and see the grand gentlemen of World War I (and) my father’s generation, World War II They saved the world,” he said. “And the Korean war, it has been called a forgotten war I don’t think so.”

Naming places, dates and battles, he covered the world wars, Korea, Vietnam and beyond. Whether people were “for or against the war those veterans put it all on the line for all of us,” he said.

Now, service men and women are again risking their lives in Afghanistan and Iraq, and many have died.

”How can we forget them?” he asked.

The Memorial Day tradition must be preserved for future generations, he said.

”We have to spread the word to all Massachusetts communities, it is incumbent on us all to do so. Yes, this is why we are here,” he said. “You people possess a true spirit of patriotism and Americanism.”

The speeches followed a parade that began at Bishop Road, proceeded up Main Street and stopped at Town Hall. The ceremony concluded with solemnity. The 94th Army Band played the National Anthem. Then, as a bugler played taps, Boy scouts set a wreath on the war memorial monument on the Town Hall lawn.

New to the parade roster this year was a bagpipe band that added poignancy. In highland garb, the Stuart Highlanders from Wilmington, Mass. played “Amazing Grace.”

Memorial Day originated over 200 years ago as Decoration Day, a day set aside to lay wreaths on the graves of Union soldiers killed in the Civil war, to honor their sacrifice.

Today, Memorial Day serves the same mission, but with a wider scope. It commemorates all service men and women who have died in all of the nation’s wars, long ago and recently, including the Gulf War, Desert Storm and current conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq.

	April 4th - The Legion Lunch was held at Chip Shots Pub in Littleton at 1130. There were eleven members present. 11th - The first regular monthly meeting to be held at the COA Center at 1900. The drawing for the extra $$ donation will be held. The winner was Legionnaire Mike Taylor!! - He graciously donated his winnings to the scholarship fund. 25th - The second regular monthly meeting to be held at the COA Center at 1900. - cancelled
	March 7th - Legion Lunch was at the Phoenix Grille in Shirley at 1130. 15 Legionnaires Participated 14th - Regular meeting was held at the COA at 1900. There were ten members present. 28th - The second regular monthly meeting to be held at the COA Center at 1900.
	February 5th - The Four Chaplains commemoration was held at the Bedford VA at 1400. 7th - Legion lunch was at the Nashoba Club at 1130. There were seven Legionnaires who participated. 14th - Regular meeting was held at the COA at 1900. It was voted on that there would be two meetings per month, on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays.
	January 3rd - Legion lunch was held at Ah Gin Wongs at 1130. There were seven comrades who participated. 10th - Regular meeting was held at the COA at 1900. 31st - Superbowl square selections was held at the COA at 1900 and then to the Nashoba Club for camaraderie. There were eight comrades who participated in this event. The Post Scholarship Fund was the winner.

Family Photo 2009