On Monday, May 30 at 10 a.m. the Moorestown Department of Parks & Recreation will sponsor the Annual Memorial Day Ceremony at Memorial Field on Church Street. This year marks the 30th Anniversary of the Memorial Day Ceremony and will pay special tribute to the Service Men and Women who served during the Korean War. The Korean War was a defining moment in America’s history, militarizing a conflict that had largely been economic and political up to that point. The Korean War is noted as being a major turning point in the Cold War era as it confronted authoritarianism abroad.
The first Memorial Day ceremonies date back to the late 1800s, following the Civil War. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, in 1868 an organization of Union Army Veterans, the Grand Army of the Republic established Decoration Day as a time for the nation to reunite after its most deadly and destructive war. The U.S. Civil War tested the strength of the United States and its citizens, and Decoration Day was an opportunity for healing. While many places in the United States claim to have been the first to observe this holiday, it was not until 1971 that Memorial Day was declared a National Holiday by an Act of Congress. The words of General John A. Logan of the GAR more than 100 years prior guide our observance of this holiday even now: “Let no neglect, no ravages of time, testify to the present or to the coming generations that we have forgotten as a people the cost of a free and undivided republic.” In addition to reserving the last Monday of May to remember all of the men and women who paid the ultimate price, in the year 2000 Congress passed another law creating the National Moment of Remembrance at 3 p.m. This Memorial Day, as we enjoy festivities, take a moment to think about the freedoms we enjoy as individuals and as a nation. Also, take a moment to remember and thank, those who died in order for us to claim these freedoms.
The 2016 Memorial Ceremony will begin with music from the Moorestown High School Band under the direction of Chris Norris. Posting of the Colors will be done by Boy Scout Troop #44, and Cub Scout Troop #44 will lead the Pledge of Allegiance. The National Anthem will be played by the MHS Band and the Invocation will be done by Pastor Richard Nichols of First United Methodist Church of Moorestown. The Second Baptist Church Choir will provide a musical interlude.
Following a welcome by Mayor Phil Garwood and Deputy Mayor Victoria Napolitano, “Remembering the Forgotten,” by Del “Abe” Jones, will be recited by Judith Young. Young is the mother of USMC SGT Jeffrey Young for whom Jeffrey Young Park in Moorestown is named, and who died tragically in Beirut, Lebanon in the 1983 terrorist attacks on the Marine Barracks there. The Main Speaker for the ceremony is Captain Andrew T. Jackson, retired U.S. Army Reserve.
Following Captain Jackson’s presentation, the Roll Call and Remembrance will be done by Young and the Moorestown Community Girl Scouts. William Snyder, from American Legion Post 42 will conduct the Military Salute and the MHS Band will play Taps. Associate Pastor Martha Jordan of the First Presbyterian Church of Moorestown will give the Benediction to conclude the program.
Nearly 150 years after the first Memorial Day ceremonies were held, Moorestown will uphold this 30-year tradition in our own community. We remember those who have come before us, and those men and women who lost their lives in service to our Country. We thank them for their selfless service, their dedication to their country and for granting us the freedoms we have today.
