Braintree - The commander of the 350th Electronic Systems Group at Hanscom Air Force Base in Bedford spoke about the history of Memorial Day and his belief that the United States is “a reluctant empire” during Braintree’s May 24 service honoring all deceased members of the armed forces.

“A key component of our nation’s greatness lies in our ability to honor, appreciate, and cherish through our actions and our memories all those who died to ensure our freedom and prosperity,” said Air Force Col. William T. Cooley, who is responsible for the development, testing, fielding, and sustainment of 19 Air and Space Operation Center sites worldwide, as well as a variety of foreign military sales programs.

Cooley’s educational resume includes a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in electrical engineering and a doctorate in engineering physics.

His 20-year military career has earned him the Bronze Star, Meritorious Service Medal, Air Force Commendation Medal, Joint Force Service Achievement Medal, Air Force Achievement Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and Korea Defense Service Medal.

“Today we honor and remember those whose commitment required ‘the last full measure of devotion,’ as President Abraham Lincoln put it in the Gettysburg Address,” Cooley told those who gathered for the morning ceremony in the Garden of Honor at Blue Hill Cemetery. “And so, the principles of government, originally argued and advocated by one of Braintree’s most famous sons, John Adams, defended by the commitment of many, and ensured through the ultimate sacrifice of those we honor today, give us our freedoms and the enduring and powerful principles we hold dear and have spawned what some would call an empire.”

Cooley quoted President John F. Kennedy’s remark, “A nation reveals itself not only by the men it produces, but also by the men it honors and the men it remembers.”

He concluded, “Of course, today we equally honor service men and women, but the sentiment remains crystal clear.”

Veterans were invited to assemble at the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) Chapter 29 on 788 Liberty St. at 6 a.m. on the day before Memorial Day. An hour later, appropriate services were held at the DAV.

All participants then proceeded to the following ceremonial sites for memorial services: DAV Chapter 29, Plain Street Cemetery, Braintree Cemetery, Elks Veterans Memorial, Elm Street Cemetery, VFW Post 1702, American Legion Post 86, Veterans’ Memorial at town hall, and Pond Street Cemetery.

The Garden of Honor ceremony began with a rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner” by the South Middle School Choir under the direction of Matt Sawtelle of the music department of the Braintree public schools.

Russell Dupuis, chaplain of the Braintree Veterans Council, offered an invocation.

“Memorial Day beings forth mixed emotions in all of us,” he said. “Many are the hearts that have been broken, and many are the eyes clouded with tears for the comrades who did not return home to their loved ones.”

Reynold Barnes, the master of ceremonies, introduced dignitaries.

Among those in attendance were state Sen. Michael Morrissey, state Rep. Joseph Driscoll, Town Council President and Councilor at Large Leland Dingee, Councilor at Large Harold Randolph, Councilor Charles Kokoros of District 1, Councilor John Mullaney of District 2, Councilor Thomas Bowes of District 3, and Councilor Paul “Dan” Clifford of District 6.

Speaking on behalf of Mayor Joseph Sullivan, Chief of Staff and Operations Peter Morin pointed out that although Barnes’s resignation as the town’s director of veterans’ services took effect on May 22 so that he can work in private counseling, he was present for the ceremony “out of the goodness of his heart.”

Morin added, “Much of what he did was above and beyond, and we want to thank him. It’s important that we act as he does and honor our veterans not only on this day, but every day.”

Driscoll said that “service over self” is the “true meaning” of Memorial Day.

“We mourn the loss of the fallen and honor the sacrifice of the few for the many,” he said.

Retired Brig. Gen. John Carlson of the Massachusetts Military Historical Society and the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts read orders to “cherish tenderly the memory of our beloved dead” and “guard their graves with sacred vigilance.”

Major General John Alexander Logan of the Grand Army of the Republic issued these orders on May 5, 1868, and Memorial Day was originally known as Decoration Day.

After a musical selection by the South Middle School Choir, a memorial service was conducted by Dupuis, chaplain of DAV Chapter 29; Commander Alfred Varraso of American Legion Post 86, substituting for chaplain Carl Vitagliano; and George Hoover, chaplain of VFW Post 1702.

As they bowed their heads, smoke emerged from the urn in which the names of veterans who died in the past year were burned.

There was a rifle salute by the Braintree Veterans Council, the Braintree 3rd Volunteer Militia, and the Randolph South Suffolk Militia Mass IX Regiment, and a recording of “Taps” was played.

William Burke, a Marine Corps veteran of the Korean War, raised the national colors.

“By the end of the 19^th century, Decoration Day ceremonies were held across the country on May 30,” said Cooley, who leads a 290-person team at Hanscom and at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia. “It was not until World War I that the day was expanded to honor those who have died in all American wars.”

He added, “In many ways, today is a day devoted to history, not the history of Braintree or the history of the holiday we know as Memorial Day, but the history of men and women from across our nation who, because of their conviction to a higher calling and commitment to our country, have enabled our shared history and our nation’s global prominence.”

Cooley spoke about what he learned at the National War College in Washington, D. C.

“If we think back just 100 years, we as a country have gone from an isolationist nation with numerous peer competitors, reluctant to build and use a military, to the single dominant superpower,” he said. “Without drawing too many parallels and inviting serious historians to pick apart the analogy, let me simply assert that it is a useful perspective to think of, or at least consider, the United States as today’s empire. Most Americans don’t like the term and many will argue with the assertion, citing our lack of desire to rule as an empire and the absence of serious coercion on our part as a nation, but given the dynamics of our global situation and international relationships, in many ways we resemble the term.”

Cooley recently administered the oath of office to five new second lieutenants at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, his alma mater.

“The reason I mention it today is that, for me, the ceremony and conviction expressed in the oath of office is the reason we are a reluctant empire and the reason we are here today remembering our fallen military men and women,” he said.

“Officers, enlisted, soldiers, sailors, Marines, airmen, and Coast Guardsmen committed themselves to serving the principles that define our nation. Last week, I looked in the eyes of individuals in the process of committing themselves to our nation’s defense and the principles of our government.”

After the South Middle School Choir performed “What A Wonderful World,” Dupuis offered a benediction, and Barnes concluded the ceremony by urging the audience never to forget those who sacrificed their lives to “allow us to enjoy the freedoms we enjoy today.”