By Aryaa Vyas
Saturday’s 37th annual Morris Plains Memorial Day Parade was a pageant of colorful sights and sounds, in bright sunshine, welcoming the unofficial start of summer.
Yet revelers were reminded this also was a solemn day.
Army Lt. Col. Alexander Burgos, Picatinny Arsenal’s garrison commander and keynote speaker at a Roberts Garden wreath-laying ceremony before the parade, expressed his gratitude for the soldiers who risked their lives and made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom.
They “represent the ideals and values that America stands for, they represent the courage, honor and duty, and selflessness, that are at the core of our national identity,” Burgos said.
Slideshow photos by Jeff Sovelove; click/hover on images for captions:
These fallen heroes, he said, were more than names chiseled on monuments and headstones. They were “not just soldiers, sailors, marines, and airmen—they were parents, siblings, spouses, and our dear friends.”
And as we revere these servicemen and women, Burgos urged us also to appreciate the people they left behind. Their families and friends have shown great resilience and made vital contributions to the nation, too–while enduring unimaginable sorrow.
“They have lost loved ones, but they have also lost a part of themselves,” Burgos said.
Video playlist by Jeff Sovelove, for MorristownGreen.com; click top right icon to toggle through clips:
The Morris Plains Borough School Band performed The Star Spangled Banner at the beginning of the ceremony and later, America the Beautiful. Senior Anthony Samms and junior Matthew Bozza from the Morristown High School Marching Colonials performed Taps on their bugles. A rifle corps fired a 21-gun salute.
Mayor Jason Karr, borrowing a line from his predecessor, Frank Druetzler, said we should “remember a soldier never dies as long as he is remembered.”
Slideshow photos by Dave Sullivan; click/hover on images for captions:
The parade was a spectacle to enjoy. Some 108 groups—everything from the Glenbrook Brewery to the State Police Fife & Drums—marched, as adults and children stood on the sidewalks cheering them on.
A State Police helicopter did a flyover, and volunteers at the VFW on Route 53 cooked more than 1,600 hot dogs for parade-goers afterward.
Many dignitaries and elected officials attended, including Rep. Mikie Sherrill (R-11th Dist.) and Morris County Sheriff James Gannon. Grand Marshal Michael Rolph, a retired Morris Plains police lieutenant and Marine veteran, rode with his family in a horse-drawn carriage.
Parade Chairman Steve Welsh called the parade is “the highlight of the year.” Planning starts each January, he said, and Saturday’s event was “the best one yet.”
“There’s a true sense of community,” said Mayor Karr.
He never forgets what has made that possible.
“Our flag does not fly because the wind moves it; it flies with the last breath of each soldier who died protecting it,” Karr told the gathering at Roberts Garden.
Kevin Coughlin contributed to this report.
Slideshow photos by Kevin Coughlin; click/hover on images for captions:
