Vets, officials pay homage in Mattapan Memorial Day ceremony
Highlight role of black veterans who made sacrifices for country
As the nation paused this weekend to observe Memorial Day, a group of veterans and elected officials gathered at Mount Hope Cemetery in Mattapan to pay homage to those who died while serving in the military. Among them were key members of Boston’s African American veteran community, including two key groups – 60+ Veterans, a Roxbury-based veteran’s group, and the 54th Regiment, a historical reenactment group that honors one of the nation’s first African American military units in the Civil War.
Charles Yancey, the only elected official at the ceremony, described veterans as not only protecting the nation, but also helping to shape its growth.
“We have come a long way,” he said, noting that Boston’s new Commissioner of Veterans’ Services, Giselle Sterling, is the first woman and the first Latina to hold the position.
“The United States was established at a time when it suffered from its original sins of exploitation, racism, slavery and sexism. So when I say we’ve come a long way, I mean it … I want to thank our veterans for that.”
He added a note about the role of marginalized groups in the military.
“African Americans, people of color and women have fought in every war this country ever engaged in,” he said. “They fought with valor and respect — and very often, that respect was not returned [when they came home] … In spite of that, people of color joined their white colleagues on the front lines to fight for this country … We have them to thank for the liberties we have today.”
He added a political note: “So how do people stay home on election day?”
He cited the low turnout in the last municipal elections to emphasize that, as he saw it, too many people took for granted the freedoms and civil liberties enjoyed in the United States.
A veteran’s success story
Some of those present at the ceremony represented some of the city’s key groups for veterans of color.
Khalil Saddiq, a Georgia native who now lives in Boston, is a member of two main organizations: the 54th regiment and 60+ Veterans. Historically, the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment was an African American unit that fought for the union side in the civil war. Today, the organization remains as a collection of historical re-enactors who want to make sure that legacy lives on.
“We are here to keep history alive,” Saddiq says of the 54th members.
Saddiq is also on the board of the group 60+ Veterans, first founded by nine Korean War veterans in 1987 out of a desire to learn more about the postwar VA benefits. They have continued to meet weekly with a membership of approximately 30 men and women.
Saddiq, who is 41 years old, is by far the youngest in the group (the group’s name is a reference to the age group of its original founders). He first became involved after he met one of its members, Gilland McGuire, while Saddiq was living in a homeless shelter, one of the nearly 50,000 American veterans who are homeless on any given night.
Alan Nelson, Benny White, Mary-dith Tuitt, Khalil Saddiq and George Magazine attended the Memorial Day ceremony on Sunday at Mt. Hope Cemetery.
The two men became friends, and McGuire saw something special in Siddiq. He invited the younger man to join him for a 60+ Veterans meeting.
“[McGuire] said, ‘I want to invite you to this group because I think you can help them,’” said Saddiq. Once he met the members, he felt instantly at home.
“I thought, ‘These are a bunch of my uncles,’” he said.
He stuck around for another nine months or so, mostly listening and learning from them, while an idea percolated in his mind.
“I kept asking myself, ‘How do I put myself in a position to better serve them?’” he said. He realized that it would help the organization over time if it had a more formal structure so that its membership and legacy could live on for generations. Since then, Saddiq has been immersed in helping the group with the legal paperwork to register as a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization — a process they hope to complete by next month. 60+ Veterans recently elected its new board to guide the organization once the change is made official.
Just as Saddiq gave to the organization, he also gained from it when the other vets helped him to find a home. One member is a real estate agent and rented an apartment to Saddiq and another veteran at an affordable price.
In addition to seeking nonprofit status, the group has seen other changes take place. Benny White, the group’s newly elected secretary, said that the organization’s membership currently is changing with the passing of some of the older members who fought in World War II and the Korean War. The group’s leadership is now shifting to its Vietnam War veterans.
Still, three members of the Tuskegee Airmen remain, part of the legendary team of African American pilots who fought during World War II.
A city priority
After the ceremony, Sterling spoke with the Banner about the significance of Memorial Day to her mission as the city’s chief of veterans’ services.
“For me, the biggest thing was recognizing my brothers and sisters in arms who made the ultimate sacrifice,” she said. “For many people this day is just synonymous with the beginning of summer, and people forget too quickly.”
While Sterling is new to the position — she was appointed in April after being named interim Commissioner in January — she said the transition has been eased by the support she has received.
“The support from the vets is unimaginable,” she said. “It’s a tight community.”
She said she is currently focused on two main efforts — to support the city’s Veterans of Foreign Wars branches as they experience a drop in membership due to their aging population, and to end homelessness among veterans by the end of 2015 — an aggressive goal first set by Mayor Walsh last year.
Although that deadline is fast approaching, Sterling said the VA has made significant progress.
“We are on track [to meet it],” she said. “The biggest thing is [the goal of] coming to a functional level of zero — there will always be homeless veterans coming to the city, but we want to make it a rare and brief occasion, and get people connected with housing quickly.”
The VA is working on the issue in partnership with the Department of Neighborhood Development and a host of nonprofit organizations, chief among them the New England Center for Homeless Vets.
The 60+ Veterans’ group will host a luncheon on June 13 in honor of its 25th anniversary. The event will be open to the public. To purchase tickets, please contact Khalil Saddiq at 781-518-1538 or k.o.saddiq@gmail.com.
