Meet Somerville's 2012 Memorial Day Parade Grand Marshal

Somerville's 2012 Memorial Day Parade kicks of Sunday at 1 p.m. When it does, the grand marshal will be Daniel Hovanesian, a longtime Somerville resident who served in Vietnam as a Marine Corps officer.

Hovanesian, then a lieutenant in the Marines, served in Vietnam as a forward artillery observer from January 1970 to June 1971, according to a short biography provided by the city.

Aldermen At-Large John Connolly, who spoke about Hovanesian's service at a Board of Aldermen meeting Thursday night, said the veteran's job was to "sit in a helicopter looking out to see where enemy forces were."

As a result, Hovanesian often served behind enemy lines. He was wounded twice, and once he was nearly killed when a mortar landed near him, according to the biography.

In one instance, after directing his helicopter to block an enemy escape route, the helicopter became the target of heavy gunfire and crashed, Connolly said, reading from a description of events written when Hovanesian received the Silver Star. After the crash, Hovanesian removed the helicopter's machine gun and ordered his men into a defensive position when they were surrounded by enemy fighters. They managed to force the enemy to withdraw, allowing rescue helicopters to land.

"He extricated himself and many of his colleagues from many dangerous positions," Connolly said.

In addition to the Silver Star, Hovanesian received two Bronze Stars, the Navy Commendation, two Purple Hearts, three Vietnamese Service Medals, a Combat Action Ribbon, the National Defense Medal, the Vietnamese Campaign Medal and the Air Medal.

He's also a graduate of Suffolk University Law School and has practiced law since 1975.

Speaking at Thursday's aldermen meeting, Hovanesian spoke about some of his colleagues who died in the war, and he said Memorial Day is "not about me."