Memorial Day is considered by many to be the beginning of summer, when swimming pools are reopened and Little League baseball is in full swing and the school year is nearing its end.
But Memorial Day is also a day when the soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen who died defending the United States during wartime should be honored for their sacrifices.
“We should take some time, as we are now doing, to honor them and to recognize the high cost to preserve the many freedoms that we often take for granted,” said William H. Kale, the Memorial Day parade grand marshal.
Kale was the keynote speaker at Lawrence Township’s annual Memorial Day ceremony on May 24 at Veterans Park. He is also a volunteer curator at the National Guard Militia Museum of New Jersey on Eggert Crossing Road.
Memorial Day is one of three days in the United States that are dedicated to the military – Armed Forces Day in mid-May; Memorial Day in late May; and Veterans Day in November, said Kale, who served in the U.S. Army and retired with the rank of lieutenant colonel.
Memorial Day is the most solemn of the three because it was started to honor the ultimate sacrifice of men who died in war – initially, the Civil War but later expanded to include all wars, Kale said.
Although it is impossible to pinpoint the origin of Memorial Day, there are many examples of local communities gathering to decorate the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers with flowers and also holding remembrance ceremonies in Northern and Southern states, he said.
In 1868, the national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) – the Civil War Union Army’s veterans organization – issued an order that all departments and posts of the GAR observe May 30 as Decoration Day and decorate the graves of all men who died during the Civil War, Kale said.
“This was the first call for a national and annual celebration of this kind,” he said.
Decoration Day was officially recognized by New York in 1873. By 1890, all of the northern states had done so. Southern states also observed Decoration Day, but on days that were significant to the former Confederate States of America.
The date of Decoration Day was made permanent in 1968 and declared to be held on the last Monday in May to give federal workers a three-day holiday, he said. Its name was changed to Memorial Day in 1971.
“President (Ronald) Reagan once said that freedom is fragile and never more than one generation away from extinction,” Kale said. “We should use Memorial Day and visits to historic battlefields, such as the Princeton Battlefield and the National Guard Militia Museum, to share these concepts of service and sacrifice with our children.
“We owe a debt of gratitude to these men and women who have sacrificed their lives for us. We should honor that debt with our commitment to be good citizens and to work together to maintain our freedom and our way of life.”
In his comments, Master of Ceremonies Andrew Tunnard reinforced the meaning of Memorial Day. It is the most expensive day on the calendar – and not just for the money spent on celebrating it with barbecues and trips to the beach, he said.
“Every hot dog, every burger, every spin around the lake, or drink with friends or family is a debt purchased by others,” said Tunnard, who retired from the U.S. Navy with the rank of commander. “This is not about all who have served. That day (Veterans Day) comes in the fall.
“(Memorial Day) is in honor of those who paid in life and blood, for the ones whose moms never saw them again and for the ones whose dads wept in private,” he said.
It is in honor of the wives and husbands who raised children alone and of the children who only remember the warrior-parent from pictures, Tunnard said.
“This isn’t simply a day off,” he said. “This is a day to remember that others paid for every free breath you get to take.”
Tunnard said 2025 is special because it marks the 30th anniversary of Lawrence Township’s Veterans Monument in the township’s Veterans Park.
It is also the 250th anniversary of the founding of the U.S. Army, the U.S. Marine Corps and the U.S. Navy. The Continental Congress authorized their formation in advance of the Revolutionary War.
Tunnard echoed Kale’s suggestion to visit a landmark associated with the military. He and his wife visited Arlington National Cemetery recently and paid their respects to friends who are buried there.
“I would encourage anyone who can to visit a national or state veteran’s cemetery,” Tunnard said. “It really is an appropriate way to remember.”
Mayor Patricia Hendricks Farmer honored two Lawrence Township veterans in her remarks – one who fought and survived World War II, and one who fought and died in Vietnam.
Farmer called attention to Fred Tucillo, who recently celebrated his 99th birthday. He is the oldest living veteran in Lawrence Township, she said.
Farmer then pointed to U.S. Marine Corps Lance Corporal Douglas Randolph Dickerson Jr., who grew up in Lawrence Township. He was 18 years old when he was killed in Quang Nam Province in South Vietnam in 1966.
“On this Memorial Day, let us honor Douglas Dickerson – and every hero like him – by living with gratitude and purpose. Let us remember not just their sacrifice, but the dreams they laid down so that ours might be fulfilled,” she said.
The Memorial Day ceremony also included reading off the names of members of American Legion Post 414 and the 112th Field Artillery Association who died during the past year. A bell tolled after each name was read.
Kale and Robert Watson, the commander of the 112th Field Artillery Association, placed a wreath at the Veterans Monument. Watson retired from the U.S. Army with the rank of colonel.
The 112th Field Artillery Association’s cannon crew gave an artillery salute. It was followed by the flag detail and the playing of “Taps” by members of the Lawrence High School marching band.
Col. (U.S. Army Retired) Robert Watson (left) of the 112th Field Artillery Association and parade grand marshal Lt. Col. (U.S. Army Retired) William Kale carry the wreath during the Lawrence Township Memorial Day Ceremony on May 24.
