The Musicians' Parade Band passed the courthouse, followed by the fire department.
By Nancy Peckenham
The city of Newburgh Memorial Day parade returned this year, with hundreds of people, from more than three dozen groups and organizations, marching in honor of those who have died in service to the country.
A year ago, the parade was cancelled after veterans like Dave McTamaney decided that people had forgotten the real meaning of the national holiday. “It had become a parade on Memorial Day, not a Memorial Day parade,” he said as he arrived at Newburgh’s headquarters for the dedication ceremony.
This year, the marchers went out of their way to show their pride and honor for the country’s veterans, carrying homemade signs of support and waving flags. School children, including a group from Meadow Hill school, carried signs recognizing the bravery of the fallen.
A group led by Elder Sheila Mock of an Outreach Ministry staged two iconic scenes from 20th century warfare. Four women dressed in camouflage, including Mock, stood in the formation of the soldiers raising the US flag at Iwo Jima. In the truck bed in front of them, two actors portrayed a wounded Vietnam soldier being tended to by an Army nurse.
The parade’s Honorary Grand Marshall, William Kaplan, rode in a buttery yellow 1948 Mercury convertible, waving to those who lined Broadway to get a glimpse of the parade. Kaplan, who served in the U.S. Army in the Pacific when he was just 18, has not only been generous to the city of Newburgh and its residents, he also is an active veteran and a member of Jewish War Veterans.
Elected officials walked near the front of the parade – Mayor Valentine with his wife, Susan, and city council members Christine Bello and Marge Bell. Regina Angelo rode separately.
Perhaps the chief promoter of the return of the Memorial Day parade, Council woman Angelo, dressed in late 18th-century clothes, rode on an historic float along with a costumed George Washington and other historical figures.
Catherine Costello came to remember her husband, Bob.
Catherine Costello came to see the parade wearing her deceased husband’s Marine Corps hat. She said she also had his Navy hat, which she would don later. Bob Costello was a veteran of World War Two and his widow came to remember him and all other service members. “I think it’s important to applaud every group that puts out the effort to be part of this parade,” she said, waving at people passing by in the town of Newburgh trolley who, she said, had organized the effort.
DIxon Guzman and Richard Sanchez.
Dixon Guzman and Richard Sanchez, two veterans of the Vietnam War, stood on the sidewalk on Broadway, watching the parade. They came over from Walden for the parade, they said. “We used to be good buddies,” Sanchez said, looking at his pal. “We always are.”
An exciting moment for parade viewers was the arrival of the Dynamic Approach Marching Band, a newly formed group of drummers and dancers from the city’s recreation program. Friends and parents of the 40 or so young people in the band crowded around them as they stopped several times along the parade route to perform one of their marching numbers.
After the parade passed by Washington Headquarters on Liberty Street, some marchers returned with a large group of veterans and officials for the official dedication program the grounds of the historical site.
At the ceremony, marchers rested the signs they carried with the insignia of different branches and units of the military.
Jonathan Dobin, a local musician, was glad that he decided to stop by the ceremony because, once there he saw his name on the program as singing the National Anthem. No one had contacted him but luckily Dobin knew the words and sang it a cappella without a hitch. Before he sang, members of the Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 537 raised the flag.
Members of the Orange Blossoms fired a rifle salute.
Acting city manager Richard Herbek was the featured speaker and he called on those present to teach others to ensure that the sacrifices of service people are not forgotten. The four marksmen dressed in Civil War uniforms of the 124th NY Infantry, the Orange Blossoms, turned toward the Hudson River and fired a single volley in honor of the fallen, wreaths were placed on the stone memorial, then Dave McTamaney played taps on a trumpet and a moment of reflection ensued.
Dave McTamaney played taps as a sailor saluted.
Later in the day, McTamaney and other veterans planned to gather at the Orange County Veterans Memorial at Liberty Street and Leroy Place to read aloud the names of 820 fallen service members from World Wars One and Two, Korea and Vietnam, along with an additional eight names that have been added from more recent wars.
Frank Fisher, the master of ceremony at the memorial, thanked all the people and businesses that stepped forward to make the parade and ceremony a success. A list of groups will be published on the city website, he said.
Here are a few more photos from Memorial Day:
These two colonial dames beat the heat in an electric car.
Some of the veterans who helped organize the parade.
Dancers from the Dynamic Approach Marching Band.
The color guard.
Students from San Miguel Academy.
Cub Scout Park 125.
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