Belmont’s Purple Heart Observation At Vets Memorial, Monday, Aug. 7

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Photo: A detail of the poster of the Purple Heart Day Observation on Aug. 7

At 7 p.m. on Monday, August 7, the Belmont Veterans Memorial Committee will host the National Purple Heart Day Observations at the Belmont Veterans Memorial on Claypit Pond at the corner of Concord Avenue and Underwood Street.

Belmont residents, veterans, and their family members, particularly those who are Purple Heart recipients, are invited to attend this special event. 

The event commemorates the date of General George Washington’s commissioning of the first Purple Heart Medal during the Revolutionary War and honors recipients of the medal. 

The Purple Heart is awarded to members of the United States armed forces who an enemy wounds and posthumously to the next of kin in the name of those who are killed in action or die of wounds received in action.

What’s Open/Closed Memorial Day 2023: Trash/Recycling Collection Delayed A Day

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Memorial Day is a federally FCC holiday in the United States for honoring and mourning the military personnel who have died in the performance of their military duties while serving in the United States Armed Forces. The holiday this year is observed on Monday, May 29.

Belmont will commemorate Memorial Day with an observation at the Grove Street Cemetery beginning at 11;30 a.m. to be followed by a parade to the Veterans Memorial at Clay Pit Pond off of Concord Avenue.

What’s Closed:

  • Belmont Town offices and Belmont Light are closed. They will reopen to the public on Tuesday, May 30.
  • US Postal Service offices and regular deliveries.
  • Banks; although branches will be open in some supermarkets.

MBTA: Operating buses and subways on a Sunday schedule. See www.mbta.com for details.

Trash and recycling collection: There will be no collection Monday; trash and recycling will be delayed ONE DAY this holiday week.

What’s Opened:

  • Retail stores.
  • Coffee shops: Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts are serving coffee all day.
  • Supermarkets.
  • Convenience and drug stores (CVS/Pharmacy) open regular hours.
  • Establishments that sell beer and wine are also allowed to be open.

National Purple Heart Day Observation At Vets Memorial Clay Pit Pond On Sunday, Aug.7, 1 PM

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Photo: Residents of Belmont, veterans and Purple Heart recipients are invited to attend this special event. 

The Town of Belmont will honor and observe National Purple Heart Day on Sunday, August 7 at 1 p.m. at the new Belmont Veterans Memorial at Clay Pit Pond off Concord Avenue and across from Belmont High School.

Brig. Gen. Paul L. Minor, the co-rector of Belmont’s All Saints’ Church, and the newest assistant Adjutant General of the Massachusetts Army National Guard at Joint Force Headquarters, will be the guest speaker.

Residents of Belmont, veterans and their family members and in particular all of those who are Purple Heart recipients are invited to attend this special event. 

The Purple Heart is awarded to members of the United States armed forces who are wounded by an enemy and posthumously to the next of kin in the name of those who are killed in action or die of wounds received in action.

Chartered by Congress in 1958, the Military Order of the Purple Heart is composed of military men and women who received the Purple Heart Medal for wounds suffered in combat. Although membership is restricted to the combat wounded, the organization supports all veterans and their families with a myriad of nation-wide programs by Chapters and National Service Officers.

Belmont To Commemorate Veterans Day With Breakfast, Clay Pit Pond Events

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Belmont will be honoring all veterans of the US armed services at three events commemorating Veterans Day.

Wednesday Nov. 10

Belmont’s 7th annual Veterans Breakfast at 10 a.m. at the Beech Street Center, 266 Beech St., sponsored by East Cambridge Savings Bank. Free to all Veterans.

As a thank you to our local Veterans, the Belmont Council on Aging hosts its seventh annual Veterans’ Breakfast, free for Veterans, spouses, and families. Enjoy a hot breakfast of pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage, and hash browns provided by our friend from the Diner at 11 North Beacon in Watertown. Belmont Hill School’s B-Flats will provide us with entertainment. A special thank you to East Cambridge Savings for once again sponsoring this special event. Please call 617-993-2976 to register.

Thursday, Nov. 11

At 10 a.m., there will be a short Veterans Dedication Ceremony held at the Open Door Baptist Church on Pleasant Street with Pastor Bob Butler presenting.

At noon, a Veteran’s Day gathering will take place at the Belmont Veteran’s Memorial at Clay Pit Pond. Bob Upton, Belmont’s Veterans Agent, will make some brief remarks. There is no Belmont schools Veterans Day Program this year and the VFW does not have an event scheduled.

Veterans Site At Clay Pit Pond Gets A New Name

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Photo: The dedication of the Belmont Veterans Memorial, Nov. 3, 2019.

The memorial on the bank of Clay Pit Pond that recognize Belmont residents who serviced in the US Armed Services has received a new name. The Select Board on Monday, April 12, voted unanimously to honor a request by the Veterans Memorial Committee to rename the site as the Belmont Veterans Memorial Park.

“If anyone’s gone by there or taken a look in the past 18 months, you can see what that has transformed into,” said Michael Callahan, a retired US Marine Corp colonel who was co-chair of the Memorial Committee told the board. “It’s something we’re very proud of.”

To give the memorial greater permanence, the committee asked the board to designate the site – a triangular area encompassing all of the monuments elements leading up to the pond – as the Belmont Veterans Memorial Park.

The memorial was dedicated on Nov. 2, 2019 on the site of a flag pole set up in 1940 to remember service members.

“We’re doing so and requesting this to formalize our commitment to care for the area. For some 70 odd years, it wasn’t take care for properly. We’re very proud of [the new memorial]. We want to make sure that doesn’t happen again,” said Callahan.