Veterans Day parade and ceremony honor those who served long after they served
A soldier waves to people from the top of a military vehicle at the Nov. 11 parade. Photos by Christian Uva
The Middleboro Veterans Honor Guard performed a rifle salute off the Town Hall balcony.
Members of the Middleboro Fire Department line up in front of Town Hall for the parade.
Veteran agent Steve Adelman, left, gifted Wayne Packard, the 2026 Middleboro veteran of the year, a commemorative coin.
From left, Gerard Milch, Jeff Caswell and Logan Milch, 9. The three drove in the parade in Caswell's 1944 Jeep from World War II.
A transport truck rolls out for the start of the parade.
Paul Provencher, left, awarded Richard Goneau with the 2026 organization of the year award.
A kilted man performed "God Bless America" on the bagpipes.
Members of the Nichols Middle School marching band played "When the Saints Come Marching In."
Girl Scouts led the grand marshal car out.
A Masonic dog.
A vintage Corvette and pickup truck from the Oak Point Car club drove through the parade.
A man in Navy uniform waves from the passenger side of a red truck.
The truck bore the Betsy Ross 13-star flag on the back.
Mary Standish rang the bell 11 times to honor the end of World War I at the 11th hour of Nov. 11, 1918.
Three veterans salute the U.S. Army flag as it was posted.
The POW-MIA flag honored those who were captured or who went missing while serving.
State Rep. Norman Orrall, left, provided a citation to Richard Goneau and Packard.
Mia Perewitz, 11, left, and her sister Gigi, 9, wrote thank you cards for veterans, and Gigi's class at Goode Elementary drew a thank you poster.
A soldier waves to people from the top of a military vehicle at the Nov. 11 parade. Photos by Christian Uva
The Middleboro Veterans Honor Guard performed a rifle salute off the Town Hall balcony.
Members of the Middleboro Fire Department line up in front of Town Hall for the parade.
Veteran agent Steve Adelman, left, gifted Wayne Packard, the 2026 Middleboro veteran of the year, a commemorative coin.
From left, Gerard Milch, Jeff Caswell and Logan Milch, 9. The three drove in the parade in Caswell's 1944 Jeep from World War II.
A transport truck rolls out for the start of the parade.
Paul Provencher, left, awarded Richard Goneau with the 2026 organization of the year award.
A kilted man performed "God Bless America" on the bagpipes.
Members of the Nichols Middle School marching band played "When the Saints Come Marching In."
Girl Scouts led the grand marshal car out.
A Masonic dog.
A vintage Corvette and pickup truck from the Oak Point Car club drove through the parade.
A man in Navy uniform waves from the passenger side of a red truck.
The truck bore the Betsy Ross 13-star flag on the back.
Mary Standish rang the bell 11 times to honor the end of World War I at the 11th hour of Nov. 11, 1918.
Three veterans salute the U.S. Army flag as it was posted.
The POW-MIA flag honored those who were captured or who went missing while serving.
State Rep. Norman Orrall, left, provided a citation to Richard Goneau and Packard.
Mia Perewitz, 11, left, and her sister Gigi, 9, wrote thank you cards for veterans, and Gigi's class at Goode Elementary drew a thank you poster.
MIDDLEBORO — Wayne Packard and Richard Goneau have never stopped serving.
Long after they left the U.S. Military, they continued helping people who fought to defend the country. Packard, a Vietnam War veteran, has been a member of the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars for over 50 years and continues to volunteer for veterans around town. Goneau’s company, Forms & Graphics, prints materials for local veterans organizations for free.
For their work, Packard and Goneau each received awards from the town: veteran of the year and veteran organization of the year, respectively.
“What I’ve noticed is, with so many veterans, they never stop serving,” said state Rep. Norman Orrall, who provided citations from the Massachusetts State House to Packard and Goneau.
Packard said his reason for continuing to volunteer is simple: “It’s just in me.”
He, Goneau and the rest of Middleboro’s veterans were celebrated during the town’s Veterans Day parade and ceremony on Wednesday, Nov. 11. Scout troops, Elks and Masonic Lodge members, Select Board members and the Middleboro High School and Nichols Middle School bands marched down Main and Center streets, all to honor the sacrifices veterans made.
Packard and Goneau served as grand marshals, leading the parade. Packard said if he wasn’t a grand marshal, he’d be on his feet marching with his fellow veterans like he has in previous years.
Vintage cars from the Oak Point Car Club carried other veterans through the streets. Jeff Caswell tried to one up them with his 1944 Jeep, which was used in France during World War II. He drove Army veteran Gerard Milch and his grandson, 9-year-old Logan Milch, through the parade in the 82-year-old vehicle.
“It’s always a wonderful thing to see people come out and cheer the veterans on,” Gerard Milch said.
Milch said he saw a woman handing out poppies near Hannaford Supermarkets recently, and when she thanked him for serving, he responded with, “You’re worth it.” He said it brought the woman to tears.
Peter Abren, a longtime Middleboro resident, knows exactly how long he served in the Air Force: 3 years, 7 months, 17 days, 14 hours and 23 minutes. He also knows the number of veterans from wars like Vietnam decreases every year, which is why he said events like these honoring them are so important.
“It shows what a nice community Middleboro is and all the support they give,” Orrall said. “It’s a testament to show that they do care.”
The ceremony in Town Hall started at 11 a.m., lining up with the end of World War I at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918. Mary Standish rang a bell 11 times to commemorate the end of that war.
She and others placed wreaths honoring veterans from different wars, as well as women and disabled veterans.
The Middleboro Veterans Honor Guard’s rifle salute on the balcony could be heard clearly from inside, as three rounds of seven shots rang through the hall. Members of the Middleboro High band closed the ceremony by playing “Taps.”
Packard helped organize many Veterans Day parades in town throughout his life, and he said he was glad to receive an award for his work helping other veterans.
“It’s a great privilege and honor. It’s been a lot of years,” he said. “I’m just grateful for everything.”
