Fallen soldiers honored in annual Newark Memorial Day March
Adam DuvernayNewark's 83rd Annual Memorial Day Parade marched down Main Street Sunday afternoon, putting out front the soldiers' sacrifice at the center of the holiday.
The somber procession included veterans, police, scouts and students who set out to honor the members of the U.S. military who died while serving the country. Main Street was lined with flag-waiving locals, many of whom have made the parade a tradition.
The event began with a ceremony on the green at the University of Delaware. Conducted in front of Memorial Hall, built to honor the dead of World War I, it was marked by speeches, patriotic music, drills and the presentation of colors.
"It's a very impressive reminder of all the people who came before us," said retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Sheldon Slater, who stood on the steps of Memorial Hall and reviewed the soldiers, cadets and scouts who marched on the green before the parade. "It's an opportunity to get the community together and celebrate those that came before."
Nathan Saxfield, a 15-year-old member of Boy Scouts Troop 255, marched in the parade for the first time Sunday afternoon. But he's a Newark resident, and he's attended the annul parade before with his family.
"It's about remembering how Newark is and how good a community we are together," Saxfield said. "We respect the soldiers and thank them for what they did. Our part is just to recognize that they were helping our country."
Many in military dress were stopped on the parade route by thankful locals who shook their hand in gratitude for their service. But Memorial Day, despite the fanfare on a military-inspired parade, is meant to inspire grief for those who never came home.
William Thomas, a New Castle resident attending the parade, said he enjoys the show because children in attendance make him happy. But he served as a U.S. Marine between 1962-66, and he said there's something about the holiday bothering him.
"I don't like, 'Happy Memorial Day,' " Thomas said. "It's to honor our war dead."
George Fuller, who retired as a technical sergeant from U.S. Air Force JAG after a military career starting in the 1950s, rode through the parade with fellow veterans on the Korean War Veterans Association wagon, but his thoughts were with those not there.
"A lot of guys don't think that much about it because they break down and they cry about losing friends," Fuller said. "I do. It bothers me."
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