Once again this year the people of Long Island celebrated Memorial Day with parades, picnics, fireworks and the sharing of heartfelt memories kept in a closet of the mind until they are pulled out each year with uniforms that barely fit if they fit at all.
We salute the men, women and children who lined the streets to wave American flags saluting the veterans who marched in parades throughout the island. They came to honor the men and women who risked their lives to fight for this country and help others in far off lands share in the freedom that we too often take for granted. The parades included young men and women who had only recently returned from Iraq and Afghanistan and senior citizens who had fought in World War II and Korea. They are all heroes.
At a memorial ceremony at the end of the parade in New Hyde Park, the Rev. Dan Olson of the New Hyde Park Baptist Church shared a sentiment that captured the spirit of the day: “We should remember the fallen, those who loved freedom more than their own life,” he said. “We ask God to look over our troops and bring them home safe.”
We thank the thousands of veterans honored on that day and our thoughts are with those who lost loved one in the fight for freedom. We also thank those who spent days preparing the many events that honored the county’s many veterans.
A Blank Slate Media Editorial
