Bayonne veterans are going to need a little extra help this year if the city is to continue the annual tradition of holding a Memorial Day Parade.
Late last year, the Bayonne Memorial Day Parade Committee learned that the fiscal problems it faced by the city will require the 12 veterans groups to shoulder more of the burden if there is going to be a parade this year.
John Zmyslowski, chief of staff for the Bayonne Memorial Day Parade Committee, said the city asked the committee to lower the cost of the parade this year.
“The city has historically provided funds for the parade, but given its financial problems, he asked us to lower the cost,” Zmyslowski said.
The committee is comprised of the 12 veterans organizations from Bayonne, and its goals are to run the annual Memorial Day Parade along with other veterans’ activities throughout the year.
“By cutting out two bands and asking the others to lower their cost, along with eliminating some wreaths and award plaques, and having the veterans pickup some incidentals we were able to cut the cost by approximately 40 percent,” he said.
“The city will still help, but we are trying to get enough donations to take the major burden away from the city. Anything that you can do to help us spread the word would be appreciated.” – John Zmyslowski
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“This letter was sent out in November 2008, and to this day we have received only eight replies for a total of $1,600. We estimate a cost of $8,000 to operate the parade,” Zmyslowski said. “The city will still help, but we are trying to get enough donations to take the major burden away from the city. Anything that you can do to help us spread the word would be appreciated.”
Although Memorial Day was originally designed to honor those who fought and died on both sides in the American Civil War, after World War I, it took on greater meaning to honor all those who fought and died for their country.
Partly due to aging of veterans and controversy over wars like the one fought in Vietnam, traditional observance of Memorial Day has diminished over the years. But this has not been true in Bayonne, where a parade has been held for the last 80 years.
“In Bayonne, the Memorial Day Parade Committee prepares for this event starting in September, with monthly meetings to review the parade from the year before and present any changes for the upcoming year,” said Victoria Del Regno. “The parade is the culmination of all the activities that veterans participate in during the month of May. Few people realize for veterans, May is the month when we visit cemeteries and monuments. We bring flags to decorate all gravesites where a veteran has been laid to rest. Starting on May 1 and ending with the parade, ceremonies are held at all the monuments in Bayonne and wreaths are hung to honor those who gave their lives for our country in one of the great wars.”
The veterans, who visit these sites, often recall that they were 17 or 18 years old when they were sent off to fight overseas.
“Now 80 years later, year after year, they visit the friends they left with that did not return at a monument or cemetery, where they rest in peace,” Del Regno said. “The tears in their eyes reflect the feelings they hold inside. They are few in number now and they hope someone will remember them on Memorial Day.”
The parade, Zmyslowski said, “is a fitting tribute to the memory of these fallen veterans.”
“Throughout its history, the city has provided the funds to the veteran’s community to run this patriotic parade,” he said. “The city is now in financial difficulty and has asked the veterans to assume some of the cost associated with the parade. Some veterans’ posts have picked up some of the associated expenses, but since the posts are not financially strong, it is difficult for them to continue this. We are now asking the community to help support this annual patriotic event. We would like to hire more bands next year, since spectators enjoy the excitement that bands and their patriotic songs bring to a parade; but we can only do that with your help.”
Zmyslowski added, “We ask your assistance in continuing a great hometown tradition enjoyed by past generations and hopefully by future generations. Please help us by becoming a sponsor of the Memorial Day Parade with a donation to the Bayonne Memorial Day Parade Committee, P.O. Box 21, Bayonne, NJ 07002.”