Memorial Day is this weekend. While it marks the unofficial start to summer, it is a serious day for many Americans who take the time to remember the soldiers who died during conflict.
Each year veterans, local officials and supportive townspeople gather in Veterans Park for a parade and solemn ceremony on Memorial Day.
Waterloo, N.Y. has been observing a day to honor fallen military personnel since 1866. The New York town is the “official birthplace of Memorial Day.”
According to history.com, “Waterloo—which first celebrated the day on May 5, 1866—was chosen because it hosted an annual, community-wide event, during which businesses closed and residents decorated the graves of soldiers with flowers and flags.”
Decoration Day began being observed in 1868 and is the predecessor to Memorial Day.
This is the 155th time we as a nation will gather officially to honor those who died serving our nation and protecting its citizens.
If you are in town this weekend, please come out on Monday, May 30 to Veterans Park and join the ceremony. The parade begins at 10:30 a.m. and the ceremony begins after.
It is a solemn and moving event that reminds us of who has passed to protect our nation.
Whether or not we agree with the reason for war, I would like to hope we can all agree that death in battle is a sacrifice worthy of remembrance.
Before you light your grill on May 30, take a moment and remember the men and women who fought and died in service to the nation.
When we started the paper, Martin Brady and Tom Rizzotte would read out the names of veterans who died throughout the year.
Those two men are now gone. John Griffee, John DeLucca and Art Orsi are the ones I think of when I think of our current veteran leaders. I often wonder who will follow and will we continue as a town to honor the 1.35 million service members who lost their lives in conflict.
Gina Rullo is the editor-in-chief of The Hammonton Gazette. In 2022, she was named an “Editor Extraordinaire” by Editor & Publisher Magazine and in 2021 won two awards for investigative journalism.