To the Editor:
The Bayonne Memorial Day Parade, which has been a tradition in Bayonne for nearly 100 years, will be held on Monday, May 25.The parade is being led this year by Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 226 with Glen Flora as its Commander.
The theme for the parade is in “Memory of Spc. Rafael A. Nieves Jr. and Petty Officer 3rd Class Dennis C. Miranda.
Spc. Nieves served in the U.S. Army in the 101 Airborne (Air Assault) Company B 1st Bn.506 Infantry. He was killed in Afghanistan on July 10, 2011. Petty Officer Miranda was a Navy Seal, also killed in Afghanistan on September 21, 2010.The parade honors their memory along with the thousands of other veterans who have fought and died for their country.
Each year the parade gets smaller since the veteran population is aging and passing away. We have grouped the members of the various veterans’ posts in the city together at the beginning of the parade to make everyone aware of the declining number of veterans.
Veterans from the more recent wars have not been joining the local posts for a variety of reasons. This contributes to the declining number of participating veterans, which makes it very important to teach our young about the sacrifices veterans made for the freedoms we now enjoy. To that end our Grand Marshal, Glen Flora, has established a museum at his post at 9th St where school children are taken on a tour of military memorabilia along with guest veterans who provide firsthand accounts of what a veteran actually stands for.
It is important that we continue to honor the memory of those who are no longer with us and to thank those who remain.
We hope that many of Bayonne’s citizens will come out to cheer the veterans and enjoy the bands and the marching groups while always remembering the sacrifices the veterans endured.
We are still looking for groups that would like to march in the parade. If you are interested please call Chief of Staff John Zmyslowski at (201)563-8420.
JOHN ZMYSLOWSKI