Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Memorials And Veterans topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Fall River honors Civil War veterans at Oak Grove Cemetery ceremony
Summary
City, state and veterans' leaders gathered at Oak Grove Cemetery in Fall River for a Memorial Day–adjacent ceremony honoring Union soldiers interred there, featuring student performances, historical remarks, a wreath laying and the retirement of colors.
On behalf of the city of Fall River and Department of Veterans Services, I'd like to welcome you all to this solemn and meaningful occasion as we gather here at Oak Grove Cemetery to honor and remember the brave men who served during the American Civil War, Talos Farris, Fall River director of veteran services, said at the start of the ceremony.
The ceremony, held at Oak Grove Cemetery in Fall River, featured the presentation and retirement of colors, the national anthem sung by Emily Nouraki, a fourth-grade performance from Fonseca Elementary School, historical remarks by Denny Cosmo of Bristol Community College’s Joseph A. Marshall Veterans Center and brief statements from Mayor Paul Coogan and several state representatives. The event also included a wreath laying, a volley by Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 207, the playing of taps and a benediction.
The gathering emphasized the local connections to the Civil War and urged attendees to remember the individual soldiers buried at Oak Grove. Cosmo, identified as director of the Joseph A. Marshall Veterans Center and an Army Ranger veteran, highlighted named interments and unit histories, saying, “The union veterans buried at Oak Grove Cemetery are testament to the courage and dedication of those who fought to preserve the union.” He pointed to Medal of Honor recipient Hugh Hamilton, who served as coxswain on the Union Navy ship USS Richmond, and private James Holhouse of Company B, 7th Massachusetts Infantry, noting their graves are within the cemetery grounds.
Mayor Paul Coogan thanked students and volunteers and said the event serves as “the kickoff” to Fall River’s Memorial Day observances, asking residents to consult the city’s event calendar for additional activities. State representatives who spoke included Carol Faiola, Alan Silva and Representative Ouellette; Father Rob Ninkovich offered an invocation that quoted passages from President Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address.
Speakers referenced several historical figures and local unit ties. Cosmo urged visitors after the ceremony to “walk these lines, say their names, research their military units,” noting that Companies A and B of the 7th Massachusetts Infantry were mustered in Fall River and that local descendants may be connected to the men buried at Oak Grove. Several speakers cited wartime scale figures mentioned at the event, including that more than 50,000 Massachusetts residents served in the Civil War and that roughly 620,000 soldiers died in the conflict, and that approximately 3,000,000 formerly enslaved people were freed during and after the war; those numbers were presented by speakers as historical context during remarks.
Ceremonial elements followed the remarks. Talos Farris led acknowledgements of participating groups — including the Colonial Navy of Massachusetts Fife and Drum Corps, Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 207 and the Veterans Association of Bristol County — and introduced the wreath laying with Victor Farris. The program included a moment of silence, a volley and taps; organizers then performed the retirement of colors to conclude the formal portion of the event.
The program included recognitions of Gold Star families in attendance and several requests that attendees, especially younger visitors, read and remember the Gettysburg Address and the histories of those interred at Oak Grove.
No votes, ordinances or formal municipal actions were taken during the ceremony; the event was commemoration and public remembrance only.
