Communities across the country took time to honor their veterans on the national holiday – Veterans Day. Whether it was a breakfast, ceremony, or car parade, each community celebrated in their own way.

Lynn

The city hosted a Veterans Day breakfast followed by a ceremony at City Hall to honor the city’s veterans. City officials recognized dozens of veterans as they crossed the auditorium stage.

Lynn and Swampscott Veterans Service Officer Mike Sweeney said 250 veterans and their families gathered at City Hall for the Lynn Veterans Day Appreciation Breakfast and Veterans Day Ceremony. State and local elected officials served the breakfast and gave thanks to the veterans for their dedication and sacrifices for the nation.

“We’re proud of the fact that we walk through these doors and remember our veterans every day,” Lynn Mayor Jared Nicholson said.

Nicholson said meeting each veteran as they walk across the stage reminds him of the individual stories that make up the United States armed forces.

“It’s made up of individual people who made the decision to serve – who stepped up to share their bravery with a cause. And it is an important reminder for us to thank those individuals,” he said.

Lynn City Councilor-at-Large Nicole McLain, an Iraq veteran, shared her own experiences and the importance of the holiday to her community.

“The title of veteran is earned. It is not given. We had to work really hard. We had to make sacrifices,” she said. “Nothing that you have done can ever equate to the heaviness that we hold as people that supported and served this country.”

Essex County Sheriff Kevin Coppinger thanked the city’s veterans and highlighted the sacrifice their families make as well.

He shared a recent experience visiting Omaha Beach, a beach in Normandy, France, used by the Allies during the D-Day invasion of World War II. He and his wife saw children having sailing lessons on the beaches. He noted that veterans from the U.S. and the Allies sacrificed their lives to create the opportunity for those children.

The Lynn English JROTC Drill Team performed at the ceremony along with the All City Band. The St. Mary’s High School Football team continued its tradition of attending the Lynn Veterans Day Ceremony to honor those who have served. The ceremony concluded with each in attendance Veteran being honored.

Lynnfield

In Lynnfield, residents gathered for the dedication of the town’s new Veterans Memorial. Located off South Common Street next to the Town Common, the memorial is inscribed with the names of every Lynnfield veteran dating back to the Revolutionary War through the War on Terrorism, along with a brief, historical summary of the 11 wars depicted on the memorial.

Marblehead

The town celebrated Veterans Day with a variety of events. U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton hosted his 10th Annual Vets Town Hall on Monday as a place for veterans to share their experiences and non-veterans to listen.

Nahant

The town hosted a Veterans Day ceremony on Monday at Marjoram Park. The event dedicates the PVT James J. Devereaux Jr. Memorial Square, who was killed in action during the Battle of the Bulge in WWII. A reception followed at the American Legion Post 215.

Peabody

The city hosted its bi-annual Veterans Day breakfast at Wiggins Auditorium in City Hall, followed by a celebration in front of the building. The auditorium was filled with veterans, and each branch was honored. This year, the breakfast was dedicated to veterans of the Global War on Terrorism.

Master Sgt. Chris Lanning, who served in the Global War on Terrorism, said Veterans Day means more than just a “thank you.”

“The just generic, ‘Thank you for your service’ probably doesn’t encapsulate what it really is,” Lanning said. “It’s a huge thank you to all the people that came before you that give you the opportunity to serve later on, that makes the service better for you, and then it’s an opportunity to say thank you to brothers and sisters in arms.”

Lanning is one of the two instructors for the Peabody Veterans Memorial High School Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps and said he was happy to see many cadets volunteering to serve breakfast at the event on the holiday.

“These are the people that are going to serve after us,” he said.

Peabody Mayor Ted Bettencourt said the city has a ceremony every year, but hosts a breakfast every other year to further honor its veterans.

“It’s just wonderful to be able to see so many of our veterans, their families, and to show our respect and appreciation for everything that they’ve provided to us – the sacrifices they have made for the betterment of our city and for the betterment of all of our lives,” he said.

He said seeing the PVMHS AFJROTC student volunteering at the breakfast shows the community coming together.

“We all have such warm feelings for our veterans and our students,” he said. “It’s very generous with their time and that adds just another special element to this.”

Swampscott

More than 100 people attended Swampscott’s Veterans Day ceremony, Sweeney said. Monument Avenue and Humphrey Street were lined with banners of local Swampscott Veterans as part of the Town’s salute to those who served.

The Boy Scouts Troop 53, Cub Scout Pack 55, and Girl Scouts of Ocean Bay led the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance. Elected Officials thanked the veterans and Marine veteran Alex Panos shared with the crowd the meaning of Veterans Day.

The Swampscott Elementary School and Pre-School, led by Erin DeLisio, concluded the ceremony with a special presentation to the veterans.

Today’s ceremony concluded with a special presentation to the veterans from the Swampscott Elementary School and Pre-School led by Erin DeLisio. Each veteran was presented with a handmade card or drawing as a token of thanks for their service.

Earlier in the day the Senior Center hosted a breakfast for Swampscott Veterans, during which 15 veterans attended.

Saugus

The Saugus Veterans Council hosted a Veterans Day ceremony at the Saugus Veterans Park. Retired U.S. Navy Capt. Douglas Peterson served as the keynote speaker for the ceremony. A rolling rally, which featured vintage cars, trucks, motorcycles, and vehicles, drove past the park at the conclusion of the ceremony.