“Today, we remember with gratitude the men and women who came home in a sealed bed of pine, asleep beneath a flag, as well as those who returned alive and have since got to their final rest.”

This was the message Sgt. Ian Acciarito delivered as he spoke to those in attendance during the annual Memorial Day ceremony at the Nesquehoning Memorial VFW Post 8008 on Monday.

The ceremony was preceded by the annual borough Memorial Day Parade, which kicked off on the west end of town, stopping at two veterans memorials where a gun salute and wreath laying took place. The parade then traveled through town, ending at the VFW Post home, where the full memorial service was held.

Acciarito is a 14-year veteran of the Pennsylvania National Guard and serves as both quartermaster and surgeon at the VFW.

“Today, we acknowledge the true cost of freedom,” he said. “We see it in the names etched in stone, beside which bronze markers hold small flags. We hear it in the mournful notes of taps. We feel it in the silence after the rifles fire. Today, we honor selfless service and ultimate sacrifice.”

Acciarito said that serving in both the military, as well as in veterans organizations, has provided him with a unique and humbling opportunity in honoring the men and women who came before him as part of their military funeral honor guard.

He then shared a poem he wrote to describe the final moments of a veteran who has served their country.

The poem is titled, “The Veteran Lays to Rest.”

The service ended with the reading of the names of the Nesquehoning veterans who passed away since the last Memorial Day, a gun salute and the playing of taps.

The events capped the Nesquehoning VFW’s week of veteran-related events.

On Thursday, the group, in conjunction with the Panther Valley Blueprint Community and Penn State Master Gardeners, held the dedication of the new Veterans Memorial Garden on the east end of town.

On Sunday, members of the VFW laid wreaths at the outlying cemeteries in the borough.

‘The Veteran Lays to Rest’

One bugle

Two Flags

Three Rifles

Seven somber men stand by, their comrade for to honor.

They may not know his name or face, yet still they call him “Brother.”

Three shots ring out.

Two flags descend.

One bugle’s cry signals the end.

Three hands rise up,

Three rifles lean —

In tribute to the soul unseen.

Fifty stars and thirteen stripes are folded — thirteen times.

Saluted twice and handed off to Parents. Children. Wives.

Thirteen creases, sharp and tight —

A cold reminder of loved one’s light,

Three burning shells — reminders of Hell —

Stand for Courage, Duty, and Honor — worn,

By one now to the silence sworn

As prayers are said, soft tears are shed.

The earth receives the flag-draped bed.

His war is done.

His soul at peace.

The veteran’s march at last has ceased.

His duty done, and his days in the sun —

The veteran lays to rest.

— Ian Acciarito