On Memorial Day, Great Neck honors the fallen

Janelle Clausen

Hundreds gathered for Great Neck’s annual Memorial Day parade on Monday, honoring both the community’s veterans and those who gave their lives to protect their country.

The parade itself featured hundreds from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, Vigilant Fire Company, Alert Fire Company, members of the USS Zephyr, police and several other local organizations. People lined the streets waving tiny flags.

The parade began at the corner of Middle Neck Road and Susquehanna Avenue and moved north on Middle Neck Road to Village Green Park. It was there that there were ceremonies honoring the fallen.

While sometimes jokingly referred to as the “Great Neck Memorial Annual swimming meet” because of the rain by Parade Committee Chairperson Louise McCann, she emphasized the ceremony’s importance.

“We’re here today to remember the over 1.5 million Americans who gave up their lives so that we could have our freedom,” McCann said.

“Heroes don’t wear capes. We wear dog tags,” McCann added.

Parade Grand Marshal James Barton, a U.S. Navy veteran who served in the Vietnam War, also noted that this year was the 100th anniversary of the United States’ entry into World War I – a war that claimed the lives of some men from Great Neck.

“One hundred years ago these men left town to fight in the Great War, the war that was supposed to end all wars, and they gave their all not to conquer, but to liberate,” Barton said. “Let us remember them and all of our great patriots and soldiers who gave their all today.”

Rabbi Robert Widom of Temple Emanuel said that all soldiers were united by a sacred mission.

“They were drawn from all races, colors and creeds, yet Americans all, united in their effort to push back the walls of darkness and belief that they were serving a higher purpose: the preservation of our way of life,” Rabbi Robert Widom of Temple Emanuel said.

Park Commissioner Bob Lincoln, garbed in Vigilant fire uniform, also highlighted various guests of honor. Some of them included Councilwomen Lee Seeman and Anna Kaplan, Mayors Jean Celendar, Pedram Bral and Steve Weinberg, school trustee-elects Jeff Shi and Rebecca Sassouni, and William Shine, former superintendent of Great Neck Public Schools.

Great Neck dedicated the parade to Arthur Seidman, 100, a resident who served as a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army during World War II in the Pacific Theater. He earned the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart.

Share this Article