Lansingburgh Memorial Day Parade

A memorial remembering those who deceased in battle

Army Tank

Monday was Memorial Day and we celebrated the day by attending one of Lansingburgh's famous parades. I never been to a Memorial Day parade nor have I ever celebrated it, so this was a new experience for me. It was the 17th annual memorial Day parade on a cloudy Landsingburgh day. It was a time to celebrate and the men and women who have served in the armed forces and honour those who have died in battle. Upon further research of the parade, I discovered that this parade was restarted by the veterans of Landsingburgh in 1996 after a 20 year absence. Up until then, the parade has been funded by the local veterans organization and donations from the local public and the state's government.
When I first heard that Memorial Day was originally called Decoration Day, I chuckled at it because I can see why they would call it that. We usually celebrate our veterans and those who have fallen by decorating their graves with flowers and American flags. On the day of the parade, it began at 11 o' clock am, rain or shine. Fire trucks, marching bands, veterans, and children all marched the streets proclaiming their honour of the veterans as residents watched and cheered for them. It was very patriotic and very American, if I might say, ha-ha. It was interesting to watch, I enjoyed all the parts. But what I didn't like was the announcer during the second half of the marching. He only addressed the "guys" and the 'men' when he thanked them for their service while leaving the women out of the context. There are also many women who served in the military and died in battle; I wished he would had acknowledged them also during the event.
My favourite part of the parade were the Brass-o-mania's! Even though they did not have any connections with the veterans, I really liked them and their music. Man, those people can play! I kind of felt sympathetic for the elementary school marching band, on the other hand. When they started to play during the announcing, everyone just cut them off and cheered for them. It was a little encouraging for them, I guess, but at the same time they didn't even give them a chance to play. But I think it's interesting that this band is the only elementary marching band in the nation. I think with lots of practice, they will be very great! I've also talked with some people who were watching. Some of them were from the area, but a majority of them came from different towns which was surprising to me. I would have thought that all the people who came to watch were Landsingburgh residents since the parade was right in their neighborhood.
Bill McDonough were one of the veterans lined up in the streets for the parade. He said he was in the army for two years and fought in the Korean War. He was wounded and received the Purple Heart, but something he said struck me. He believed that he was not the real hero, the guys who didn't come home, he said, were the real heroes.
And this is the importance of Memorial Day. To remember and honour those who had not come home.

Soldiers and Veterans marching