By Matthew Sockol
Staff Writer
FREEHOLD – Municipal officials, residents and veterans will gather at Elks Point at 8:30 a.m. May 29 to honor those who died in service to the nation as Freehold Borough begins its annual commemoration of Memorial Day.
Councilman George Schnurr will serve as the master of ceremonies for the Service of Reflection. Marion Zilinski, whose son, U.S. Army Lt. Dennis Zilinski, was killed in Iraq on Nov. 19, 2005, will read the names of Freehold residents who died in the nation’s wars.
Following the Service of Reflection, the 143rd Memorial Day parade in the borough will begin at 9:45 a.m. at Brinckerhoff Avenue and Main Street. A casket covered by an American flag will be accompanied by active military personnel, Schnurr said.
At 10 a.m., representatives from area veterans organizations will begin their march down Main Street, followed by the rest of the parade participants.
According to Schnurr, the borough’s Memorial Day parade is the state’s longest running parade of its kind. He said it is Monmouth County’s largest such parade with an average of more than 70 units participating each year.
“The Freehold Memorial Day parade is one of the signature events of our community,” he said. “When this streak of 143 parades honoring our servicemen and servicewomen started, there were only 37 states in our nation.
“Freehold Borough is proud to host such an extraordinary event that for more than a century celebrates and recognizes all our esteemed servicemen and servicewomen who fought bravely for our country, continuing to allow us our freedom and remaining the best nation in the world to live in.
“Standing on Main Street and cheering our hometown heroes as they march proudly by is a moment of American pride we should all experience,” Schnurr said.
The lead veterans organization for this year’s parade is the Disabled American Veterans Chapter 74. This year’s theme, as decided by the DAV, is “Some Gave All.”
Schnurr said the grand marshals as selected by the DAV will be Vietnam War veteran Ron Johnson, Korean War veteran Jim Donechie Jr. and World War II veteran Charles Sona.
Residents of all ages from all communities are invited to attend the Memorial Day parade. Free parking is available in the Market Yard parking lot off Center and Mechanic streets; in the Monmouth County Hall of Records Annex parking lot off East Main and Lafayette streets; and in an auxiliary lot on Lafayette Street behind the Hall of Records Annex parking lot.