The Albertson Memorial Day parade may be Monday, but tribute to the nation’s fallen soldiers goes far beyond the holiday itself for the members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 5253.
“There’s many people who came before us that sacrificed the ultimate sacrifice and others who got wounded for the freedoms we enjoy today,” VFW Post 5253 Commander Gaetano Rumore said. “We honor all our fallen heroes.”
In the days and weeks leading up to the parade, the Post’s members place flowers on the graves of their fallen comrades, Rumore said.
But the number of graves keeps growing.
Most Vietnam vets are now in their mid-to-late 60s, Rumore said, while the typical World War II or Korean War vet is in his or her late 80s to mid 90s.
“They’re really dying fast,” Rumore, 65, said. “A lot of the WWII or Korean veterans are either disabled, or they’ve gone to [warmer states] like Florida or South Carolina.”
Post 5253’s membership has declined in the decades since it opened, from an initial membership of about 600 to the 267 members it has today, he said.
“We’re dwindling,” said Rumore, who served as a combat medic in Vietnam from 1969 to 1970. “An active post is important to keep the memories alive and to give the veterans someplace to go, because as they get older, they lose their spouses; their families move away, and we kind of become a family.”
With its flag lowered to half-mast, Post 5253’s ceremony will begin at 9 a.m. at 155 Searingtown Road on Monday, May 25.
Prior to the parade, the Post will pay tribute to the members who died in the past year, recount the significance of the holiday and open the floor to comments by local officials.
The parade route will weave past the Albertson Memorial for a second tribute and then toward the Albertson Fire Company, where Post 5253 will honor the firefighters.
“They’ve given up a lot of people for our safety and our welfare, so we honor them as well,” Rumore said.
Interest in the holiday has also dwindled as the years roll by, Rumore said. Fewer residents have relatives or friends that served, he said, and Memorial Day has transformed into a day of backyard barbecues.
“We definitely don’t see the crowds that line up on the side of the streets as we did in the past,” he said. “I don’t think you have the people in the neighborhoods that really appreciate why the day is given off as a holiday.”
But Post 5253 tries to pass Memorial Day’s significance — and the memory of the fallen veterans — on to the younger generations, inviting local Boy and Girl Scouts to take part in the tributes.
“We invite the Boy Scouts and the Girl Scouts to come to see what this is all about, so they kind of become part of our ceremony, and they might remember that this is something of a big deal,” Rumore said.
The youngest veterans — the Afghanistan and Iraq vets who served tours after Desert Storm — have not joined the VFA at the same rate as those from previous conflicts, he said. Instead, he says they focus on schooling, establishing careers and starting families.
“But that’s something we all went through,” Rumore said.
When asked if he thinks the younger veterans may look to the Post as they get older, Rumore said, “hopefully.”
“We could use a few good men to join up,” he said. “The post is always looking for good eligible veterans.”
