Bordentown Township will gather this Memorial Day to pay solemn tribute to the brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice while serving in the United States Armed Forces.
The annual ceremony is scheduled at 11 a.m. at the Bordentown Cemetery, 210 Crosswicks Road.
Veterans Advisory Committee Chairman, Bryan Branson, will serve as emcee for the program, featuring remarks from Mayor Eric Holliday, New Jersey State Sen. Troy Singleton, Assemblywoman Carol A. Murphy, and Assemblyman Balvir Singh.
This year’s keynote address will be delivered by Captain James B. Howell, prospective commanding officer of Naval Support Activity Lakehurst. Howell brings decades of leadership and distinguished military service, including multiple deployments and strategic command roles in both Europe and Africa.
The ceremony will also feature patriotic performances by vocalist Aidan Gould, flag raising by members of the Veterans Advisory Committee (VAC), and a wreath-laying tribute led by the Township Committee, VAC members, and local veterans organizations including the Elks Lodge No. 2085, American Legion Post No. 26, Mt. Moriah Lodge No. 28 F&AM, Knights of Columbus Council 570, and VFW No. 291 Yardville.
In case of inclement weather, the ceremony will be moved indoors to the Elks Lodge, located at 11 Amboy Road in Bordentown.
Memorial Day, initially referred to as Decoration Day, was observed by many communities after the Civil War, when the nation suffered more than 620,000 military deaths, roughly 2% of the total population at the time. Today Memorial Day is now designated as an annual day of remembrance to honor all those who have died in service to the United States during peach and war, according to National Archives.
