Memorial Day Tribute

Thanks to all who have served.


.Remembering those who served.


Grateful to those who risked or sacrificed their lives so we could be free today.  That includes my dad -- a B-29 bomber pilot who flew 22  missions out of Italy and Northern Africa. 

I was with him 20 years later when he returned to the Brenner Pass -- an area of Germany he had bombed heavily.  Seeing the green valley that had gown up to renew the scorched earth he had been partly responsible for caused him to choke up with gratitude himself.

Never met a finer man than you, Dad.  Think of you every day, but particularly on this day of gratitude and remembrance for you and everyone whol who answered the call.


Thank you to the Township of Maplewood for holding a Memorial Day service this morning for VFW members and their families; and to the Township of South Orange Village for holding a remote memorial service this morning and live streaming it so the community at large could participate in remembering and honoring our deceased veterans.  


It’s wonderful to think of all who served, but that’s Veteran’s Day.  Memorial Day is for those who gave the ultimate sacrifice, their lives during service to our country.  


For some of our veterans, death resulting from service to our country can come years or decades later due to exposure to toxic materials used in warfare.  Vietnam Veterans were especially impacted due to exposure to Agent Orange. The VA recognizes death from such afflictions as diabetes and various cancers as being service related, if a veteran served in Vietnam during certain dates of service.  



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