They say it never rains in Morris Plains.
“It’s a COVID-cleansing,” said Mayor Jason Karr, explaining Saturday’s meteorological event that…moistened participants and spectators at the borough’s 35th annual Memorial Day Remembrance and Parade.
The calendar showed late May. But Santa Claus, No. 74 in the line of march, probably felt right at home. Temperatures started in the 40s, on a morning that was soak-through-your-slicker wet.
Ceremony slideshow photos by Kevin Coughlin. Click/hover on images for captions:
Still, after last year’s coronavirus shutdown, organizers were determined to go forward this time. Everyone who braved the elements knew why that was important.
“Respect. Honor. Remember. There are so many people who have fought for us. This is the day we take to remember them. So let’s do that,” said Morris Plains resident Preethi Ganapathy, huddled under an umbrella with son Jayneth, 5, who sported an Uncle Sam hat and star-spangled shades.
“I came out because the people who made this possible for us deserve it. Thank you,” said Linda Toscano, a member of the borough’s Beautification Committee.
Video of the parade:
Wreaths were placed on a symbolic grave at Roberts Garden, where veterans from the Denville American Legion fired a rifle salute, Morristown High School buglers sounded Taps, and the Morris Plains Borough School Band played America the Beautiful.
Wearing a blue Navy cap, Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-11th Dist.), who was a helicopter pilot in the service, spoke of the enduring sacrifices of the families of fallen heroes.
She acknowledged Samuel Coursen Jr., who was very young when his father, a Madison native, gave his life to save a wounded comrade in the Korean War.
Army First Lieutenant Samuel Coursen killed seven enemy soldiers in fierce hand-to-hand combat, according to his posthumous Medal of Honor citation. He died near Kaesong on Oct. 12, 1950. He was 24 years old and is buried at West Point.
Parade slideshow photos by Kevin Coughlin. Click/hover on images for captions:
Sherrill also referred to the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan. Noting “the service and sacrifice too many have made,” the congresswoman thanked them and their loved ones “for their efforts to uphold our values as a nation.”
The pandemic should deepen our appreciation for servicemen and women who died for their country, she said.
“This Memorial Day, I think, we’re a little more attuned to loss and grief in honoring those who are no longer with us. It’s my sincere hope that it helps us better remember and better honor all those who’ve given their all,” Sherrill said.
Keynote speaker Plummer Williams, chaplain for VFW Post 3401 in Morris Plains, knows COVID-19 well. He was hospitalized last year for five weeks, and spent three more weeks in rehab.
Williams also knows about war. He served in the Air Force during Vietnam.
“No war in the history of man has truly resolved anything,” he said. “We are all God’s children, and it’s time that we put aside the foolishness that we call war.”
Thank you to Steve Welsh and the parade committee for inviting Morristown Green to march again this year. It’s a privilege. And thanks to Beth, Bob, Leslie, Mark and Kathy for thumbing your noses at the forecast and supplying your own special sunshine.
