Memorial Day observance planned

The Veterans of Lincoln, Mass. (VOLMA) and the Parks and Recreation Department invite residents to the town’s Memorial Day observances.

• 9:45 a.m. — Assemble at Bemis Hall to march with Lincoln’s veterans down Bedford Road to the library lawn.
• 10 a.m. — Join VOLMA on the library lawn to honor and celebrate the lives of those lost in battle, as well as our active and retired service men and women.

The guest speaker is Sgt. Julie Sutherland of the Massachusetts Army National Guard. The ceremony will be led by Captain Thomas Risser with traditional highlights including an invocation, the playing of “Taps” and the laying of a memorial wreath.

The Lincoln Police and Fire Departments will provide a cookout for all attendees immediately following the ceremony. In case of inclement weather, the ceremony will be held inside Bemis Hall.

Sutherland is a chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear non-commissioned officer with the 1^st Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team of the Massachusetts Army National Guard. She enlisted in the guard in August 2013 and was named the Delta Company 2/39 Infantry Regiment Soldier Leader of the Cycle at the close of her basic combat training.

In 2016, Sutherland, a Millbury resident, was named the 1166^th Transportation Company Soldier of the Year, the 164^th Transportation Battalion Soldier of the Year, and the 151^st Regional Support Group Soldier of the Year. She competed at the Massachusetts Best Warrior Competition in 2016 as the only female competing at the soldier level.

She holds an undergraduate degree in environmental science from Clark University and is working towards a masters’ degree in security studies/homeland defense concentration from the University of Massachusetts at Lowell. Her awards and decorations include the Army Service Ribbon, National Defense Service Medal, Army Achievement Medal (4^th Award), German Armed Forces Proficiency Badge in Silver, and the NCO Professional Development Ribbon.