On Memorial Day, Abington dedicates square to fallen soldier

ABINGTON, Mass. — It is one small point in one small town, but to a military family in Abington, a new memorial means everything.

“The biggest fear of a Gold Star family is that your loved one will be forgotten,” widow Erin Vasselian said Monday.

The town of Abington made sure that won’t happen with her fallen husband, Marine Sergeant Daniel Vasselian.

He was killed in Afghanistan nearly four years ago.

The town dedicated the intersection of North Avenue and Brighton Streets to the 27-year-old native.

“So many people from the community came out, our friends and family, to honor Danny today on Memorial Day. [It] means so much to our family,” said Daniel’s mother, Karen Vasselian.

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The V on T-shirts worn for the ceremony could stand for the valor of Sergeant Vasselian, who was posthumously awarded a Bronze Star.

But it could also signify some kind of victory over sadness for the many who knew him.

Time passes, memories warm to the man behind the marine.

“He was outgoing and funny and had so much character,” Erin Vasselian said. “And I think anywhere he went, you would walk into the room and you were just immediately drawn to him.”

So Vasselian Square is now a place and a point of reference, but it's more a reminder of what Memorial Day is all about.

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