Town Administrator Tom Mayo is pleased to share that the Town of Hingham Select Board has proclaimed Sept. 22 to be Veterans' Suicide Awareness and Remembrance Day in Hingham.
On Tuesday, the Select Board voted to proclaim Sept. 22 Veterans’ Suicide Awareness and Remembrance Day to raise awareness of mental health in the veteran community, and to reduce the stigma associated with mental health issues.
Meanwhile, the town also is collaborating with the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Marine Corps League, and the Suicide Awareness and Remembrance Flag Family, to host a ceremony at which a Suicide Awareness and Remembrance Flag will be presented to the family of a Hingham veteran who made the decision to take his own life.
The family of U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Matthew P. Partyka will be presented with the flag during a ceremony at the Hingham Harbor Bandstand, 95 Otis St., on Sunday, Aug. 6.
The event will begin at 11:00 a.m., and will include a speech by retired Brigadier General Tom Sellars, and a musical performance by USMC Sgt. Daniel M. Clark, also known as "The Singing Trooper." The Hingham Police Honor Guard will be on hand, as will a combined rifle detail from the Hingham American Legion Post 120 and Hingham VFW Post 6053.
A luncheon will follow at the Grand Army of the Republic Memorial Hall, 358 Main St., Hingham, from 12:30 - 2 p.m.
"The Select Board and the Town of Hingham want to raise the profile of this important issue," said Town Administrator Mayo. "Our veterans deserve our full support, and too many veterans suffer from mental illness in silence. We hope that by recognizing veterans' mental health issues, we can help to bring attention to this important matter, reduce stigma, and make it clear that in Hingham we respect and recognize the sacrifices that our veterans have made."