Remembering the day’s true meaning
Patriotism on display at Pennridge parade and ceremony
SELLERSVILLE >> The true meaning of Memorial Day — to honor the sacrifices of fallen service members — was front and center Saturday in the Pennridge Memorial Day Parade and Service in Sellersville.
“We all want to have celebrations and picnics and go on vacations and put our feet in the salt water at the beach,” said Tracey Adams, president of American Legion Auxiliary Post 255. “But ultimately this is to remember those who are no longer with us and made the ultimate sacrifice.”
“Think about the parents and the loved ones of the people that are not here,” said Frank Brown of the Sons of the American Legion Post 255. “When you have your picnics this weekend, say a prayer for all the ones that have fallen in memory of these people.”
The parade proceeded through downtown Sellersville and up to Lenape Park, featuring contingents of Pennridge middle school marching bands, local chapters of the Boys Scouts and Girl Scouts and members of Action Karate and Galena Brass. Local fire trucks and U.S. Army Military Police tanks were also present.
The service was held at Lake Lenape Park’s veteran’s monument, featuring speeches from American Legion commanders and members and local mayors and state representatives. The speeches were punctuated with performances of The Armed Forces Medley and Stars and Stripes Forever by the Pennridge High School Band.
State Rep. Craig Staats encouraged the crowd to educate the younger generation about the meaning and significance of Memorial Day.
“It’s our responsibility to remind our kids that this day is not just the unofficial kick-off of summer, but a day in which those who died in active military service are remembered,” said Staats. “It is our civic duty to learn about our nation’s past, and in doing so, we pay tribute to those who have written our nation’s history on the battlefield.”
State Rep. Shelby Labs called attention to the quote etched on the U.S. Army’s Second Infrantry Division Memorial in Myanmar. Constructed during WWII, the memorial’s quote reads, “When you go home, tell them of us, and say, ‘For your tomorrow, we gave our today.’”
“Think about those words. Lessons can be taught to our young and indeed the rest of us as well to remember the significance of this quote,” said Labs. “We truly are eternally grateful to those who gave their lives so that our country remains the land of the free.”
Following the speeches was a firing squad salute, a “Taps” performance and the laying of wreaths on the monument.
“A token of our enduring memory,” said Craig Wilhelm, commander of the Pennsylvania American Legion. “These flowers may wither, but the spirit of which they are a symbol will endure until the end of time.”