NEWS

'That others may live': Memorial Day ceremonies honor those who made 'ultimate sacrifice'

Craig S. Semon
Telegram & Gazette

WORCESTER – Years pass. Memories fade. And for the parents of sons and daughters whose lives were cut short while making the “ultimate sacrifice” for their country, it never gets any easier. And they never forget.

Gold Star mother Tracy A. Racine remembered her 19-year-old son, Brian M. Moquin Jr., a U.S. Army infantry scout and private first class who died along with nine other soldiers when a military helicopter crashed in a remote region of Afghanistan.

“For those of you that do not know what the meaning of a Gold Star family is, we are the immediately family members of a fallen soldier or service member,” Racine said. “Gold Star family is a title that nobody wants to bear.

“On May 5, 2006, my son, Pfc. Brian Moquin, in the Army’s 10th Mountain Division, made the ultimate sacrifice along with nine fellow soldiers while on a secret mission in Afghanistan, in Operation Enduring Freedom, searching for Taliban and al Qaida militants hiding in the rugged mountains near the Pakistan border,” Racine said. “Brian was 19 and my only child.”

Gold Star Mother Tracy Racine speaks during the city’s Memorial Day ceremony in Hope Cemetery Monday. Her son Pfc. Brian M. Moquin Jr. was killed in action in Afghanistan in 2006 while serving in the U.S. Army 10th Mountain Division.

Moquin was born in Worcester and moved with his mother to Shrewsbury when he was 6. They moved back to Worcester when he was about 16 and he enrolled in high school in Millbury, where both sets of his grandparents, Ernest and Catherine Vaillancourt and Elsie and Walter Moquin, live.

“After high school, he (Moquin) decided he wanted to do something to make a difference. He decided to join the U.S. Army,” Racine said. “He went from being a fun-loving, very active kid who always sought adventure to being a brave young man who was courageous enough to go to a war zone. That was his character.”

In addition to being an “old soul” who also liked the music of Johnny Cash and Frank Sinatra, Racine said her son had “a contagious personality and a huge heart.

The Marine Corps League Worcester Detachment 144 leads a parade through Hope Cemetery to the city’s Memorial Day ceremony Monday.

“He (Moquin) had many friends and he made new friends wherever he went,” Racine said. “He was smart, funny, witty and was always cracking jokes and always had a smile on his face…When he wasn’t on his skateboard, he was very artistic…He had a passion for music and loved going to rock concerts or shows. He wrote poetry and song lyrics on a daily basis and kept many journals of them.”

“Many people say, ‘Happy Memorial Day’ this time of year. Sadly, for myself and so many families, every day is Memorial Day. Maybe instead of saying ‘Happy Memorial Day,’ you can say, ‘Enjoy your weekend. And we’ll try our best to remember.’”

Gold Star mother Tracy A. Racine

Moquin was awarded the Bronze Star, the National Defense Service Medal, the Good Conduct Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the Combat Action Badge and the Massachusetts Medal of Liberty.

“Most importantly, Brian loved his country, the brotherhood within the Army and the freedom for which he fought,” Racine said. “He was a great, courageous soldier and I miss him more than words can say.”

Worcester’s Director of Veterans’ Services Alex R. Arriaga speaks during the city’s Memorial Day ceremony in Hope Cemetery Monday.

Racine was one of the speakers who attended the city’s annual Memorial Day ceremonies at Hope Cemetery. Mayor Joseph M. Petty, City Manager Eric D. Batista, Phil Madaio, the president of the Massachusetts Vietnam Veterans Memorial Board of Directors, and Alex R. Arriaga, veterans’ services officer and director for the City of Worcester, also spoke.

State Sen. Robyn K. Kennedy, State Rep. Daniel M. Donahue, city councilors Khrystian E. King, Kathleen M. Toomey and Etel Haxhiaj, School Committee member Tracy O’Connell Novick, Worcester County District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr. and former mayor Konstantina Lukes were also in attendance.

'That others may live'

In her remarks, Racine pointed out that in the past that she has attended the Memorial Day services at Hope Cemetery with another Gold Star mother, Margaret B. Setaro, who died in March.

Worcester Police Officer Sean M. Lovely plays "Amazing Grace" to conclude the city’s Memorial Day ceremony in Hope Cemetery Monday.

“I made a promise to her (Margaret Setaro) that as long as I could, I would always make sure that her son would be remember as well,” Racine said.

Racine said a few words on behalf of Senior Airman Richard M. Setaro Jr., of Worcester, a member of an elite Air Force pararescue unit, who died Oct. 6, 1994, from injuries suffered in an Air Force helicopter training exercise in Korea. He was part of the 33rd Rescue Squadron operating from Kadena Air Base in Japan and arrived in South Korea about a week ago to begin a monthlong training mission.

“He (Setaro) was 23-years-old and the oldest of three brothers,” Racine said. “Richie is remembered by friends and families as a motivated, dedicated young man, a hero who met the motto of the pararescue teams: 'That others may live.'”

The Marine Corps League Worcester Detachment 144 fires a salute during city’s Memorial Day ceremony in Hope Cemetery Monday.

'Now, she’s with her son.'

Suffering from bad legs, Margaret’s husband of 54 years, Richard M. Setaro Sr., attended the ceremony at Hope Cemetery with a photo of his wife sticking out of his breast pocket.

“She just died on March 25. Now, she’s with her son,” Richard Setaro Sr. said of his wife. “He (Richard Setaro Jr.) gave his life and his two brothers (retired Air Force veteran Robert P. Setaro, of Worcester, and Air Force Fire Captain veteran Ryan C. Setaro, of Bayville, New Jersey) went in after him. But they came home.”

Serato’s ambition written for his 1989 senior class yearbook from Worcester Vocational High School was straightforward: "Become a State Cop and SAVE the World."

Logan Sullivan, 6, watches the city’s Memorial Day ceremony in Hope Cemetery Monday.

“He (Richard Setaro Jr.) told everybody what he wanted to be,” his father said. “When he came out, he wanted to be a state cop but he never got out.”

Serato enlisted in the Air Force Feb. 9, 1990, and after basic training qualified to attend pararescue school. When he began, he was one of 83 who were accepted. When he graduated Dec. 13, 1991, he was one of only nine who remained in the class.

'Every day is Memorial Day'

Mark Ziemba reads Logan’s Orders during the city’s Memorial Day ceremony in Hope Cemetery Monday. Ziemba is a member of Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, Willie Grout Camp 25.

In addition to recognizing the sacrifices of Moquin and Setaro, the honor guard of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, Willie Grout Camp 25 of Worcester, recognized two Medal of Honor recipients who served in the Civil War: Charles H. Pinkham and Thomas Plunkett. Both men were honored for saving their regiment's colors during battle. Plunkett lost both arms when he was hit by shrapnel while fighting at Fredericksburg, Virginia, Dec. 11, 1862.

Mark Ziemba, chaplain for the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, Willie Grout Camp 25, read Logan's General Order 11.

Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps cadets from North High School line up for a Memorial Day ceremony in Hope Cemetery Monday.

The North High School Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps, the Vernon Hill Chapter 435 Auxiliary, American Legion and the Worcester Marine Corps League, Detachment 144, also participated.

The service included a 21 gun salute and taps. A wreath laying ceremony also took place at the Massachusetts Vietnam Memorial at Green Hill Park and at the Korean War Memorial, 52 Foster St.

“Many people say, ‘Happy Memorial Day’ this time of year. Sadly, for myself and so many families, every day is Memorial Day,” Racine said. “Maybe instead of saying ‘Happy Memorial Day,’ you can say, ‘Enjoy your weekend. And we’ll try our best to remember.’”