Memorial Day was observed by Blairstown and its surrounding communities under sunny skies May 29th with the temperature holding just a bit below sweltering.
Unless, of course, you just marched two miles under that sun.
The parade, hosted by the Givens-Belet American Legion Post 258, kicked off at 1 p.m. following a solemn ceremony at the Cedar Ridge Cemetery at noon. This year, the parade and ceremony honored the 20th anniversary of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
This year’s grand marshal was Paul Avery, who served as a helicopter crew chief preparing helicopters for the 1st Air Cavalry and medivacs at Ben Hua Airbase in Vietnam, frequently under enemy fire. In addition, he logged more than 200 jumps with the Army Skydiving Team including a 10,000th-jump from a CH-47 Chinook chopper for Armed Services Day.
After the parade, all attendees and participants were invited to Footbridge Park to celebrate the lives of those lost fighting for our nation.
“If you ask most veterans or those on active duty, they will likely admit that if they perished in battle, they would like for everyone to remember them with a glass raised and with a smile on their face,” according to Post 258. “We have, for the past 77 years in Blairstown, honored our fallen in both spiritual, as well as jovial manners.”
Joe brings decades of journalism experience to the Ridge View Echo, covering everything from local school boards to the U.S. Supreme Court. A former National Law Journal editor and Columbia Law School press officer, he now enjoys telling community stories in Blairstown, where he lives with his wife, Rose, and their two dachshunds.
- Joe Phalon, Contributing Writerhttps://ridgeviewecho.com/author/joe-phalon-contributing-writer/
- Joe Phalon, Contributing Writerhttps://ridgeviewecho.com/author/joe-phalon-contributing-writer/
- Joe Phalon, Contributing Writerhttps://ridgeviewecho.com/author/joe-phalon-contributing-writer/
- Joe Phalon, Contributing Writerhttps://ridgeviewecho.com/author/joe-phalon-contributing-writer/
