EDITORIAL
By Ruth Luse
Memorial Day observances this year promise to be more patriotic than usual.
In Hopewell on Sunday, Hopewell Valley American Legion Post 339 and the Hopewell Fire Department will bring us weather permitting a parade with the theme, "Support Our Troops."
In Pennington on Monday, Pennington Parks and Recreation Commission will offer another parade, with the theme, "Red, White and Blue Strong, Proud and True."
There will be plenty of opportunity for flag-waving, as there should be during Memorial Day observances, especially at a time when our nation, like it or not, is at war.
According to one Web site about the national holiday, "Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in our nation’s service.
"Memorial Day was officially proclaimed on May 5, 1868, by Gen. John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, and was first observed on May 30, 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery."
In 1873, New York was the first state to officially recognize the holiday. By 1890 it was recognized by all of the northern states, according to the Web site. "The South refused to acknowledge the day, honoring their dead on separate days until after World War I (when the holiday changed from honoring just those who died fighting in the Civil War to honoring Americans who died fighting in any war). It is now celebrated in almost every state on the last Monday in May," under the National Holiday Act of 1971.
In addition to the two parades, local history buffs are being offered a special treat Monday at the Old Methodist Cemetery on Pennington-Titusville Road (west of Timberlane Middle School). About noon, according to local resident Jack Davis, a reenactment featuring some interesting persons buried there will be performed. Attendees also will have the chance to learn a little about some of the area’s early Presbyterians and Methodists and how their activities affected local history. Readers are urged to see the account about this event in this week’s edition.
Memorial Day weekend always has been an important time in Hopewell Valley, because, like the recent Pennington Day and Hopewell Harvest Fair that will come in September, it gives the community a chance to get together.
While Memorial Day is the chosen time to remember those many who gave their lives while serving this nation, this year it also should be a time to consider those alive and still serving in far-off lands, like Afghanistan and Iraq.
We all should take a moment this weekend to think about the seemingly impossible task these men and women have taken on for the sake of us all and for a few days, at the very least, stand united in their support.
Our thanks to the Legion, Hopewell Fire Department, Hopewell Borough Recreation Committee and Pennington Parks and Recreation for working so hard to bring us the patriotic parades and related events.