Rain on the two days scheduled for Memorial Day events could not stop ceremonies from taking place, nor dampen the spirits of those veterans and residents who came to pay homage to the men and women who perished defending the United States.
On Thursday, May 22, town officials moved the ceremonies from the band shell area of Buchmuller Park to under the roof of the currently unused ice rink. Several hundred people gathered amid arches of red, white and blue balloons, bunting and American flags, as Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Cub Scouts, Brownies and local school children helped take part in the ceremonies.
Boy scouts from Troop 222 in St. Matthew’s Church carried on the tradition of taking part, which Assistant Scout Master Alfred Namedorf said had been going on for several years.
Life Scout Conrad Majchrzak said the scouts were often asked to participate in events of this kind. He was assisted by fellow scouts Paul Miler, Howie Allen, Eric Kilroy and Kristopher Pesci.
In greeting the crowd, Mayor Dennis Elwell – a decorated veteran from the Vietnam Conflict – said he was heartened by the number of people who had come out this year, and said he was particularly grateful for the number of younger people participating.
Speaking in a voice roughened by the emotion of the moment, not to mention by a bad cold, Elwell acknowledge the lower loss of life in recent wars was due partly to America’s advanced technology.
“Yet, it is very important that young people remember that veterans in all wars – particularly World War II and Korea – lost their lives defending our country,” Elwell said. “And with young people getting involved in Memorial Day ceremonies, we can help carry on the memory of those who have fallen. Being here is good. But many veterans are less concerned with ceremonies than they are with being remembered.”
This year, many of the younger veterans attended the events wearing uniforms and hats, or merely standing out of the crowd with the short hair and a military air of distinction.
Many of them bowed their heads to the blowing of taps or the reading of names of those who have died in various wars since the First World War. Some even smiled to the singing of children as part of the ceremonies, and nodded solemnly to the reading of this year’s award-winning student essays in contests sponsored by various veterans groups.
Elwell noted that some who came to the Thursday night event were family members of those currently overseas, or the children and even grandchildren of deceased veterans.
“When we talk to our children, we need to speak of the importance and significance of this day,” he said. “Our freedoms – our right to come and go, to dissent, to question authority – come back to sacrifices veterans made. Some served willingly, some not so willingly, but all served, and some never came home.”
An amazing number of freedoms
Student essays covered the full range of freedoms enjoyed by Americans, and included often poignant personal passages. Cassandra Penna, whose father grew up in Cuba, remembered in her essay how when she was 4 or 5, her father told her people in Cuba had to do what Fidel Castro told them.
“Sometimes, we don’t realize what freedom means,” she said during a brief interview in explaining her essay.
“Sometimes people take freedom for granted.”
Like Penna, some of Kimberly Espinosa’s relatives fled from Cuba.
“I was fortunate to be born here,” she wrote in her essay.
Niko Petruzzella wrote, “Immigrants came to this country to have freedom,” and according to Jesse Williams’ essay, “Many men and women lost their lives giving us the right to live our lives the way we want to. My grandfather fought in the Korean War. He was shot in the leg. But he recovered. He helped to give us all freedom.”
Dominic Arcuri wrote, “In America, I can participate in any sport I want and can take up any hobby I’m interested in.”
“Religion is another aspect of freedom,” wrote Amanda Lugo. “In our country, religion is practiced in many different ways. Because of freedom, we have the choice to choose our culture without anyone questioning us, and all men are created equal.”
Michelle Mitchell said in her essay, “Not everyone is as privileged as we are, having the gift of freedom… Freedom of the press or being able to write or express one’s views on a subject is also an important part of our freedom.”
Reabel Calubayan wrote, “I once heard in a movie that the word ‘choose’ is the strongest verb. Realizing this showed me that choosing actions that we make are what determines the kind of person we want to be.”
Mark Silletti wrote, “Though freedom of speech is limited, we, for the most part, are allowed to say whatever we want.” Bernice Chen wrote, “There are so many different ways to interpret it that no one definition can describe it all.” Marco Amato added that “all these freedoms make Americans unique in a way, but that is the importance of freedom – to live life to the fullest.”
Anjuli Quintana wrote, “Two people may disagree and have conflicting ideas or thoughts, yet be capable of holding intelligent arguments because of their freedom to disagree.”
Carrying on the tradition
A heavy downpour on Monday forced the traditional Memorial Day flag placing to be moved in doors, where the most devout people gathered, heard a few prayers, then solemnly watched as flags were handed out to various veterans and family members of veterans to carry out the symbolic crosses placed on Town Hall’s front lawn.
In fair-weather years, these people were accompanied by a soldier or a member of one of the veterans’ groups to one of the crosses bearing the name of a veteran who had died in the line of duty. With the rain, these people took their flag and walked to the door, where another person with an umbrella took the flag and carried out the precious duty. Some family members stout-heartedly refused to relinquish the chore, carrying their burden with solemn dignity despite the downpour.
Those who did relinquish their flag watched as sober-faced veterans carried the flag to the cross, bent to attach it, then stood back and saluted the grave, until every name bore a flag and every fallen hero was remembered.
A return engagement
When Jim Clancy talked about his son, James Clancy Jr., he beamed.
Last year, Clancy boasted about his boy, who was then serving in the U.S. Army and stationed in Hawaii. He was a lieutenant in an artillery outfit, but had not yet made up his mind whether or not to make the military a lifelong career.
Oddly enough, father and son trained in the same place, both serving in artillery units. Except, the elder Clancy had gone to his training at Fort Sill, Okla., in the fall of 1966. Although a Vietnam era veteran, the elder Clancy’s unit was reserve, so he remained stateside for his whole six years.
“When it was time for my son to go, I decided to drive him out there,” Clancy said with that particular nostalgic note in his voice typical of men who had sought out the details of the past by revisiting the places where something significant happened to them.
“When we got there, I drove him to his barracks,” Clancy said. “The old hospital had been turned into administrative offices and the new hospital was so big it seemed to go on forever. Most of the wooden barracks had been knocked down to make room for the new hospital. Oddly enough, the one I stayed in was one of the few still standing.”
Then, Clancy talked about his own time training there, how after a couple of weeks, the captain of his unit approached him and asked if he wanted to go to officer’s candidate school.
“He told me he and others had been watching me and liked what they saw,” Clancy said. “I told them I really didn’t think I wanted to do it. The captain told me that I’d be there for some weeks yet and I should think it over.”
Clancy forgot the invitation, although was reminded about it a few weeks later, when he sergeant came up and asked if he had thought over the offer.
“I told him I wasn’t interested,” Clancy said. “But it didn’t end there. Just before I was ready to leave, the Captain asked me again. I told him I didn’t want to do it.”
It was an offer he recalled most vividly when meeting with his son in Hawaii and was privileged to stay in one of the military hotels just outside the base. He was sitting in his son’s car as it pulled up towards the hotel and noticed all the enlisted men saluting.
“It gave me chills,” Clancy said. “To think all those men were saluting my son. I turned to him and asked if it was possible to go back and do it all again. My son shook his head, and said, ‘It’s too late, Dad. You had your chance and you blew it.’ I guess I did.”
This is one of the memories Clancy keeps of his son on this Memorial Day as he son, now Captain James Clancy, is far away in the Iraq war zone.
“He’s part of a fire support team in Bakubah,” the elder Clancy said.
He has not talked to his son since April, although he has received a few e-mail communications through his son’s commanding officer.
Captain James Clancy is one of 19 Secaucus residents who saw active service during this campaign. Others include James Acosta, Eric Alter, David Bligh, Nelson Cardenas, Kevin Carpenter, Aaron Karowski, Kelly McGauley, Steven Olson, Henry Packley, Clark Rheil, Michael Rothenberger, Wayne Sauer, George Sikaffy, Luke Smentkowski, Christopher Snyder, Susan Subropena, Orlando Trinidad, and John Warth. – Al Sullivan