MILLERTON — Sean Klay, American Legion Post 178 member and historian, said he is excited about the Legion’s Memorial Day activities in Millerton, which will be held Monday morning, May 26.
"I think it’s actually going to go great," Klay said. "We had a lot more time to organize and I think we have a fine program. That’s something I’m really confident of."
Memorial Day was first celebrated in May 1868, three years after the Civil War ended, when the Grand Army of the Republic, an organization of veterans of the Union Army, established what was first known as Decoration Day.
The day was established to allow citizens to decorate the graves of the war dead with flowers. It is believed that the first Decoration Day, May 30, 1868, was chosen because flowers would be in bloom all over the country at the time.
In 1971, Congress declared Memorial Day a federal holiday.
"The holiday is important all around so people can pay respect to those who served," Klay said. "It’s great for the community to show their support regardless of how they feel about the current conflict."
The parade will assemble at 9:45 a.m. at the Millerton Fire House on Century Boulevard. At 10 a.m., the parade will start marching down Main Street. The parade will march down to Irondale Cemetery, where a ceremony will be held for fallen veterans, including an invocation by Reverend Herbert Day, "America" as played by the Webutuck School Band, a rifle volley and taps.
The parade will include veterans, Gold Star Mothers, Commander Son’s of the American Legion, the Webutuck High School Band, members of the Millerton Rescue Squad and Fire Department and members of the Boy and Girl Scouts.
The parade will end at Veterans Park and include remarks from guest speaker Colonel Jeffrey Greb, who is presently the U.S. Army Reserve Liaison to Vermont for Homeland Defense.
At noon at the Legion Home on Route 44, there will be a rededication ceremony for the original town of North East War Memorial.
The memorial was originally built in 1936 by the founding members of the Millerton American Legion.
"It commemorates wars up until then, including Revolutionary War, War of 1812, the Civil War, Spanish-American War and the first World War," Klay said. "It does have a few chips and dings, but it is in excellent condition."
The memorial was originally installed on town land, which eventually became the location for Millerton Elementary School.
"Because of its location, some people didn’t even know it was there," Klay said. "If you asked around town, almost no one knew it was there. It was out of place because it was not exactly located on a main drag. There was a big movement to move it to either the Veteran’s Park or Legion home. Eventually members voted to move it to the Legion home."
Klay said the Legion Ladies Auxiliary donated money to move the monument. Additional funds were raised through a spaghetti dinner the Legion held earlier in the month.
"A few folks were uneasy about moving it because it was dedicated over in that location," Klay said. "But the consensus was we should relocate it so we can honor it and pay our respects in a more formal manner."
On Sunday at the Legion, at 5 p.m., a formal service will be held in memory of veterans who have died since last Memorial Day, including John Grant, Santiago Arias, Vincent Caroprese and William Aloan.
For more information, contact the Legion at 518-789-4755.
