Good morning everyone.

Welcome to the annual Memorial Day Waterside Ceremony.

For those of you who do not know me, my name is Kalanji Samuel.

I served as a captain in the United States Army, and I am deeply humbled and honored to stand before you today as the newly appointed chair of the New Rochelle's Veterans Advisory Committee.

As we gather this memorial day, we pause to remember the brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to this nation and the freedoms we hold dear.

So as our committee enters a new era of advisory service, our solemn mandate is to ensure that the city of New Rochelle actively honors, supports, and advocates for every single veteran and active duty member who calls this community home.

But this morning is not about new committees.

This is about a permanent unbroken chain of remembrance.

And maintaining that chain requires honoring the best traditions and the leaders who have kept the flame alive for years.

That is why it is my distinct pleasure and privilege to introduce the fellow veteran who embodies that continuity.

Most of you know him well.

He is a leader who has already provided invaluable wisdom, advice, and structural grounding to our newly reorganized committee.

Please join me in welcoming your master of ceremonies for this morning's service.

New Rochelle Fire Chief and Commissioner Andy Sandor.

Thank you, Klan Jay.

Good morning.

Thank you, everyone, for joining us on this wet morning.

It's not too bad.

Some of us made the uh to Beechwood Cemetery yesterday.

It was raining a lot worse, and we had a good showing there, and it's good to see a good showing here at Hudson Park to memorialize uh all the veterans lost at sea.

And uh we appreciate you coming down.

Okay, at this time uh we have our color guards and uh we'll tell them to go ahead and post the colors.

I'm gonna call firefighter Raphael Gibbs to come forward and to lead us in the national anthem.

Hey, salute!

Oh say can you see by the donzer?

What's so proudly we'll at the twilight's last glimmer whose broad stripes and bright stones through the fight or the rapport we want with so gently streaming and the kids the bombs basting through the flag was in good way the rain of the free and the home of ready help done thank you firefighter gibbs for that outstanding rendition, very moving.

Thank you.

At this time, uh please join us in the Pledge of Allegiance Hollers.

Hey, it's salute.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America.

And to the Republic for which it stands.

One nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Heady.

What do we bow our heads?

Jesus reminds us in John 15 13.

It says, Greater love has no man than this.

That a man lay down his life for his friend.

It's God the Father.

God the Son, God the Holy Spirit.

Thank you for this day.

Thank you for blessing us.

You said in all thy ways, we should acknowledge you.

So we're grateful for this day that thou has given us.

We pray now on this somber day as we come together to recognize those that are falling, fallen in the sea and the air and on land.

And dear God, that you would strengthen and bless first of all the families of the lost ones.

Then those that are even not have been found at this point.

And Lord God, we stand even for them as the unknown soldier.

But dear God, as we stand here today, we pray that you would watch over us.

Bless us and grant to our hearts a feeling of comfort, knowing that you promised that you would never leave us nor forsake us.

So in this day of remembrance, as we come together, we pray now that you would strengthen and bless us and strengthen the family.

Lord God, and allow us to recognize it's more than just a cookout.

It is a day of remembrance, a day, Lord God, that will continually be in our minds and our hearts.

Bless us now, we pray.

In the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit.

In Jesus' name we pray that everyone say Amen.

Amen.

Thank you, Bishop.

Quick apology.

I guess this morning because of the weather.

We're in the flight path for uh the jets.

Rich, maybe you could do something about that.

I'm hoping, no.

Okay.

Um at this time we'll ask uh Nourishel Mayor, Yadira Ramos Herbert to step forward, please.

Thank you, Mayor.

As Bishop Leak alluded to, oftentimes we hear Memorial Day weekend, and the focus is on a day off work or for my kids a long weekend sometimes, or maybe the official unofficial kickoff to summer.

But it's really humbling and heartening to be in community with so many New Reshal residents who know that today is really the day that we honor our fallen heroes, those true servants who gave their life to protect the values that allow us to live the freedom that we espouse, and they gave their life for others.

And so I know that I'm speaking on behalf of an incredibly grateful, devoted city represented today by my council colleagues Lopez Stern Ashton Loye and our city manager and so many other professional staff to thank those and to really honor the fallen heroes to really hold their families in our heart for the sacrifices that they gave and to take just a few minutes to say thank you in whatever way feels appropriate for us.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mayor.

And thank you for recognizing the dignitaries, I guess as MC.

A little faux pas on my part as I scan the crowd.

I see City Manager Will Melendez, I see uh Councilwoman Marta Lopez, uh Jamina Francella next to her, um Councilmember Matt Stern, Councilmember uh Shane Osinloy, uh police commissioner Neil Reynolds, uh American Legion Post Commander Dennis Starr, City Manager Will Melendez, Deputy City Manager Todd Costaldo, head of the Veterans Advisory Committee, led off uh Kalanja Samuel, uh Parks Commissioner Vin Parisi with the communications director John Jones from the uh mailroom, Dominic, good to see your brother, Dominic Fava.

Uh part of the City Hall family, and that's what's a good thing about Nourish Hell.

And that's what's a good thing about Nourishell.

It's uh great place to be, and uh good folks here.

Um at this time we're gonna have the uh presentation of the wreath again for those lost at sea.

Um so I'll have the um the salute to fallen comrades.

We're gonna have Alexander uh Mutterperf come forward, please, and he's gonna play taps while we uh have the wreath uh go into the water.

Ready.

Alexander, thank you very much.

Again, the theme of this this morning is uh for not just the people from Nourishell, but all the veterans who lost their lives at sea.

And remember, I heard a uh this morning from Memorial Day, one of the news items on the radio as we're driving, uh the oldest living Pearl Harbor uh veterans uh who were there.

Uh they had them, they're all like a hundred six now, a hundred five, God bless them.

Uh and remember everybody in between uh right now.

We have uh folks over in the uh in the Middle East, uh the area of Iran who are uh right now while we're standing here in Nourishell and we're having a ceremony and we're gonna you know go off and into our day and do whatever.

Uh those folks are still on watch uh out there walking a post and uh you know on patrol doing what they gotta do at sea, and uh we remember everybody protecting our lives and our freedom, and on that note, we want to thank all the veterans that are here today.

Uh we appreciate that.

But remember, Memorial Day is for those that have passed, the U.S.

veterans who passed, both in combat and uh also sadly uh we have some who uh end up taking their own lives, and uh we remember those folks today on Memorial Day.

Um at this point, I would ask uh Bishop Leek to come forward and give us the benediction.

Father God, we thank you for this day.

We thank you for this service, we thank you for our city officials, our mayor, the council people who are here.

We just ask now, dear God, that you bless us as we leave this place.

Keep us in the center of my will.

We pray.

The name that's above every name, we pray, amen and amen.

God bless all of them.

Thank you, Bishop.

And this will bring us to the conclusion of our ceremony.

Uh I want to say I'm honored uh to have been able to take part.

This will be my last uh memorial day down here at Hudson Park as acting chief and I appreciate the uh opportunity to serve all of you.

Thank you very much.

And um, you know, from the time I uh was in the apartments right here, living in uh Davenport, uh 43 Davenport and Harbor House, give everybody a shout out, and then I got big with myself and moved across the street and bought my friend's apartment at Marina's Edge, and uh it's good stuff down this end of town, and uh we hope everybody remembers that uh what the beautiful shoreline No Rochelle has.

And uh we hope everybody remembers that uh what the beautiful shoreline no row has.

And uh with that, uh we'll conclude our ceremony, and we'll say, retire the colors.

Good morning, ladies and gentlemen.

Good morning, thank you for coming to our city of Nerochelle and uh American Legion Post 8 Memorial Day ceremony.

Um sad to report this is our first rain out memorial day ceremony, uh, but we're gonna make the best of it.

So I'd like to uh start off by uh presenting the colors from the uh we're so pleased to have both the Neurochale Police Department honor guard and the Neurishel Fire Department honor guard here.

So if you gentlemen would uh present the colors, we will uh then uh sing the national anthem.

The national anthem will be sung today by Mr.

John Singwana.

He is a uh Iona prep student who's volunteered to uh come and join us today.

Uh John, would you lead us in the national anthem?

Oh say and you see by the dawn, what so proudly we held at the twilight's last leaving, who was brought stripes and bright stars through the fight for the haram parts we watched, who are so gallantly streaming, and the rock its red glare, the bombs bursting air, gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.

Oh say does that starled banana of the free and the home of the brave Harry?

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation to God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

Thank you.

Honor God at ease.

As we bow our heads, Mr.

God, our father, we are very grateful for this day.

We thank you for blessing us and keeping us and allowing us to wake up this morning clothed in our right mind.

So dear God, as we approach your throne, we say thank you.

And dear God, we ask that you watch over us now as we come to this service, a service that will allow us to see and to recognize those that have given the ultimate sacrifice their lives.

And dear God, we pray for the families.

We pray for those that are here to say that we appreciate you.

We thank you for this country that we now stand in.

Under you, Lord God, under your authority that has blessed us and kept us all.

Watch over the families that are yet mourning and grieving.

We ask that you bless them and keep them.

In thy name we pray, amen and amen.

Thank you.

Please be seated.

Before I give my uh before I give my opening remarks, I'd like to introduce our mayor, Yadir Ramos Herbert, to say a few words.

Thank you, Mayor.

Good morning, and thank you, Commander Starr, and all the hands that put this wonderful event together today.

And I really just want to extend what a privilege it is to be in community with New Reshal as we just take a moment to remember the ultimate servants, those fallen heroes, those who sacrifice their own lives to ensure the freedom that we get to enjoy every single day and to hold the families who mourn those the depth of those losses.

Who understand that we get to do what we do as Americans because of the sacrifice of our fallen heroes.

So thank you for being out here today, and I look forward to the program.

Thank you, so I'd like to welcome everyone here with a um phrase that is heard on this day, happy memorial day.

However, Memorial Day is not a happy day for veterans and families who have lost loved ones and comrades in the time of war.

It is a national holiday where we honor and remember these exceptional heroes, those who have laid down their lives in service to their country.

This day was originally named Decoration Day because the mission was to decorate veteran graves with the American flag.

Here in Nourashell, we still do that.

The 3,000 veteran graves were decorated yesterday at Beechwood and Holy Sepulchre Cemetery.

So this is the true reason why we observe Memorial Day.

And it's nice to enjoy a three-day weekend.

Get excited about the unofficial start of summer.

Simply put, it's time to remember and reflect.

A few years ago, I was in Washington, D.C.

to join with thousands of veterans to observe the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War.

There were many reminders of a sometimes forgotten group of veterans, those still missing in action.

While over 1,000 MIAs have been repatriated, we still have 1,573 unaccounted for.

This is why we proudly fly the MIA flag beneath the stars and stripes.

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank the City of Neurochell, the police department, fire department, parks department, and all of the privately owned entities within the city who have agreed to fly the MIA flag as a remembrance to all of us of the sacrifice that they have made.

Shortly you will hear from U.S.

Air Force veteran Miss Mel Bloom, who founded an organization dedicated to remembering another sometimes overlooked group of veterans.

Women who served in the military.

She has brought with her artifacts and memorabilia, which are displayed over here on the side.

And after the ceremony, I urge everyone to come over and uh take a look.

And uh Mel, who will be speaking shortly, uh, can explain each of the items to you.

I'm going to introduce former New York State Assemblyman and Westchester County Veteran Services Director, Mr.

Ronald C.

Tochi.

Thank you, Commander.

I want to also welcome everyone.

Uh we uh we hear about today, we watch all the programming on TV, and we go to uh a lot of different ceremonies, especially those that uh involve uh family members, people that uh we remember that may not be with us.

Today is uh not a day of just uh celebration, although it should be.

We celebrate our lives and the lives of those who uh perform every day, uh first responders, military people, and people that uh we remember as special in our own lives, but it's also uh because it is called a commemoration, a day of honor, and we honor those people in our own way.

I I believe uh my own personal life has been blessed because I've had the opportunity to serve that special group of people and their families in many, many different capacities.

First uh as a service uh military service member, but then as an elected official and then serving as a director of veteran services uh for uh families as well as uh those that serve.

I uh I've learned a lot over the years, and at the same time I also learned a lesson, and that lesson is that the legacy that they leave us is really America as we make it, as good or as bad.

You hear people talk about uh politicians and voting, and they don't participate because they don't like the candidates, and at the same time it doesn't make a difference.

And I try to make them understand that the government is only as good or as bad as we are.

We are the government.

So I think it's important for us to educate, make people aware of what we can do to make the changes to make it better.

And I want to share with you, and I've said this before, but I think it's worth uh noting because it really uh inspired me to do the things that I try to do on a daily basis.

Uh I uh had the occasion to be notified that there was a uh a little seven-year-old by the name of Jimmy Kolinowski, who was terminal with brain cancer.

Some of you may have heard the story, but it's worthwhile repeating.

He uh made uh an attempt when he was called upon by the Make a Wish Foundation.

Uh they asked him what was the most important thing, what would you like to do?

And he said he wanted to meet the boss of the country.

At the time uh it was George Bush Sr.

And the war was raging as it is now in many parts of the world.

And uh they uh arranged a meeting in uh Connecticut, where President stopped, and uh he was able to get out of the plane, and Jimmy was waiting there, and he met him, he shook hands and he talked to him, and uh he was back on his way.

Later on that day, a reporter asked little Jimmy, uh, how did you feel about meeting the boss?

He said, Well, I I wanted to know where he lives, I wanted to see him, and I wanted to go there and so on.

So I got a call from a friend who was of wealth, and he suggested that he would cover expenses if I could coordinate a trip to Washington, D.C.

And I did that.

And we picked up uh Jimmy, seven-year-old, his little brother five, his mom Laurie, and uh we had a limousine take him to Westchester County Airport.

We had a twin-engine Cessna waiting, we flew to D.C.

It was a limousine waiting to pick him up, and I asked him, what do you want to do first?

I want to go see the boss.

And we went to the White House and we had it all coordinated, and they toured the White House, even though the president was busy, he was away.

But uh he was happy.

He was happy to see where he lived.

I asked him what else he wanted to do, and he suggested uh, I don't know what else is fun around here.

Not too much fun these days in Washington, but I uh suggested if uh he wanted to, we could go see where they make the money.

And we went to the mint, and the line was around the block four times.

But I got out of the car and I talked to security, and they were gracious enough to personally escort him in around.

He watched them shoveling money into the furnace, and he couldn't believe that.

And he had a ball watching this.

From there, I asked him, what else would you like to do?

And uh he wanted to uh to go to the Capitol, see where everything happens.

We got into the congressional dining room, everybody was very gracious.

And he was given a key, a big, big golden key, by one of the senators from uh uh Michigan, and uh he said, What is that?

He said, Oh, that's the key to this state.

He said, Well, uh, can I oh where's the lock?

Can I open it up?

Anyway, they uh awarded him that key and he took it home with him.

It meant a lot.

Then I asked him, I said, uh, would you like what else would you want to go to see uh go and see?

And he suggested, I want to see that guy sitting in that chair in that monument.

And we went to the Lincoln Memorial, and he looked at it in awe, and then we finished there, and on our way down the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, I said to him, Would you like to see the Vietnam Veterans Memorial?

And he said, Yeah, what's in there?

And I said, There's a lot of names of people who were soldiers.

And we walked around, and it took us about a half hour just to go around.

And he asked if I knew if any of the soldiers' names were on the wall, and I said, Unfortunately, I know a lot of them.

And uh on the way out, he looked at me and he said, Uh, are all of those guys buried there?

And I said, No, Jimmy.

I said, they couldn't possibly fit all the people in that particular area.

Those are just the names.

And this little guy started to cry.

And he said to me, Why did they all have to die?

And that struck me, and I had to stop and think before I would answer.

And I said to him, I said, Jimmy, they died because they loved you, and they wanted you to have a good time like you're having today.

And they wanted you to remember that they truly cared about you and this country.

And he kind of accepted that.

We then traveled back to the airport and we flew back, and at that time, before 9-11, we were able to fly around the Statue of Liberty at night.

Spectacular.

And little Jimmy was able to sit in the co-pilot seat and he had a ball.

We landed and got out of the plane and came back and uh he hugged me and he said, Uh, you're always gonna be my friend, and I said, forever.

And uh they went on their way.

I guess it was six months later, I asked my uh secretary to call Lori and see how Jimmy was doing, and she broke down on the phone and I knew right away what had happened.

And I never forgot that, but I was emotionally involved with Jimmy, and it hits home when you're emotionally involved.

You think about a grandfather, mother, a father, son, daughter, a nephew, somebody that you knew that made that ultimate sacrifice, and why they did it, because they truly did believe in what I just suggested.

They love their family, and uh hopefully most of them had a belief in the afterlife.

And you know, and I think about that on a day like today, and I think about little Jimmy, and I can only hope that there are enough people around that believe as I do, and then some little guy may ask a question.

Uh, how come there's a parade?

How come they put that flag at half mask?

How come everybody's dressed up today?

Why are they all together?

What's that parade about?

And it's all about us doing our thing, and that's making everybody understand why we have all these ceremonies.

Ever since the inception of this country, there's been over a million military killed in action.

The earth has lost probably 350 million people in uh in plight of war.

So I would only ask today if there is a mission that we have to uh continue.

That's to teach our young people what this country's all about, and to make them understand that I believe that in every one of us, the Lord put a little piece of goodness, and that should be uh enough for us to carry on.

So today I ask all of you for those names that are inscribed in memoriam, say a prayer for them and pray for our country, take care of each other.

God bless all of you.

Thank you so much.

Thank you, Ron.

Ron always has uh inspiring words for us at these uh ceremonies.

I see that our uh chief barbecue chef and the commander of uh VFW 439 has come in.

Peter, uh, please come up and uh say a few words.

And and while uh Peter is uh coming up, uh let me please remind everyone after the ceremony to stay around.

Uh these guys have been working diligently uh and we have uh tons of food uh to give out to all of you uh after the ceremony.

So please stay around uh afterwards.

Peter.

Thank you.

Uh thank you.

Good morning, everybody.

Thank you for being here today.

My name is Peter Parenti.

I'm the commander of the VFW post 439 here at Neurishell, and also the president of the United Veterans Memorial and Patriotic Association.

Uh yesterday I see some familiar faces.

Yesterday we were at Beechwood and Holy Sepulchre Cemeteries doing a decoration of graves where we had I would say at least 70 volunteers that came out in the pouring rain in their rain gear and boots and umbrellas to trade out the old flag from last year with the new flag for this year to give uh new life to each of those uh veterans that are buried here.

We have over 3,000 veterans that are buried in Neurochell, and uh I just wanted to thank them for their service.

Uh a couple of things I just want to say, I try to keep it as short as I can, but Ron always says, you know, that the people that enlist in the military are uh true American heroes because they offer from day one a blank check to offer their life and provide a service to this country, which can include giving their life for you and for our cause.

And uh he said that there was about a million, there's about a million and a half of people that have made the ultimate sacrifice in your behalf.

Uh in the Civil War, there were 620,000 Americans because both sides were Americans.

World War II, 45,000 400.

World War One, 116,516.

Vietnam, 58,209, Korean War, 36,516 people gave their life.

Revolutionary war, over 25,000 for the birth of this country.

The War of 1812, 20,000.

Mexican-American War, 13,000 and change.

The war on global terrorism, over 7100 people have given their life.

I also said yesterday that we should include the 2,997 people who perished on 9-11.

They gave their life in connection with this country.

And these people answered the call.

And they went and they served and they completed their mission that God had for them.

So what's our job here?

What's our mission?

Our mission is to be worth dying for.

Oh, that's good.

So we're very pleased and um fortunate to have someone here that uh you folks have may not have heard of her organization.

U.S.

Air Force veteran Miss Mel Bloom.

Uh is a highly rated educational speaker with more than three years of experience in public history, specializing in women's military history.

She has presented at a range of academic and public institutions, including the Naval War College Museum, Blackstone River National Historical Park, the Massachusetts State House, and the University of North Carolina.

In 2022, she founded an organization which she named the 350 girls.

And I'll let her explain how that uh name came about.

A public history initiative dedicated to telling the stories of women who served in the military.

Stories that have too often gone untold.

In addition to her speaking engagement, Ms.

Bloom works closely with museums and institutions to provide interpretive programming as well as research feedback and exhibit design support for displays featuring women's military service.

And as I alluded to before, she's traveled here from outside the state to be with us.

She was at the Graves Decoration yesterday, and she has brought this array of memorabilia and artifacts here, which I hope you will all come up and take a look at after the program.

And without further ado, Miss Mill Bloom.

Good morning, everyone.

Thank you so much for having me here today.

Before we begin, I was told to keep this under three hours.

I was an Air Force training manager and now I'm a historian.

So you did give me a microphone.

But I will try.

So my name is Mel Bloom.

I'm an Air Force veteran, and I am the founder of 350 Girls.

Our display is set up over here, and I invite everyone after the program to come and learn more about the stories I will be telling you about this morning.

We began as a public history project dedicated to preserving the stories of the 350,000 women in World War II, who were often called the little ladies, skirted soldiers, or the Petticoat Army.

They took the name girls and ran with it.

We are 350 girls in their honor.

And recently, our work has actually expanded to include women's service members across all eras, including World War I, Korea, Vietnam, and Desert Storm.

Of all the talks I've had the privilege to give, Memorial Day tends to be among the most meaningful, but also the most difficult.

Memorial Day asks something significant of us.

It asks us to confront sacrifice.

It asks us to reflect upon loss.

It challenges us to reflect on not only those we remember, but those who have stories have faded from public memory, whose sacrifices have been overlooked, or whose experiences were never fully incorporated into our understanding of military service.

Today, I would like to share some of those stories with you.

When Americans think of service and wartime, our minds immediately turn towards combat service.

After all, Band of Brothers would have been a very different series if it focused on logistic reports and maintenance schedules.

However, sacrifice has never belonged exclusively to one branch, one specialty, or one type of service.

The historical record demonstrates that risk, hardship, and loss extended beyond conventional understandings of combat.

This is particularly true when examining women's military service.

Yet history presents a far more complicated reality.

350,000 women served in the armed forces in World War II.

And the months after Pearl Harbor, while legislation was still in the works to create the women's Army Auxiliary Corps.

66 Army nurses and 11 Navy nurses were taken POW in the Philippines and held for the remainder of the war.

This could have scared potential recruits, but the women signed up anyway.

In December of 1942, women in the Army were asked to go serve at the Allied Forces headquarters in Algiers just one month after the beginning of Operation Torch.

They could have said no, but hundreds volunteered for the 195 spots available.

Women knew the dangers and the risks, and they signed up anyway.

They had no guarantee they'd come home.

And for most of 1942, the women of the Army would not get a military funeral.

Their family would get no death gratuity.

Throughout the entire war and until 1977, the 38 women killed while serving in the women's Air Force Service Pilots were buried under civilian headstones.

They signed up anyway.

This is perhaps one of the most striking themes that emerges repeatedly while researching women's military history.

Despite unequal recognition, despite uncertainty, and despite genuine danger, they served anyway.

That willingness to serve in the face of sacrifice is deeply intertwined with Memorial Day.

Eighteen of the WAC who were sent to Algiers were killed en route to a new assignment when their aircraft went down on June 7, 1945.

Their bodies have still not been recovered, and what happened to them remains unknown.

This Memorial Day, I ask that we remember them.

Two hundred and one women were killed while serving in World War II.

And today, we remember them.

The women were not scared off by the risk of sacrifice.

They were inspired by it.

The majority of women who served and volunteered for military service during World War II already had a brother, husband, father, fiance, or friend already in uniform.

One example is Edith Munro.

Her son, Douglas Monroe, a Coast Guardsman, was killed in action in 1942 during the Battle of Guadalcanal.

He remains the only member of the United States Coast Guard to receive the Medal of Honor.

Following his death, Edith chose to join the Coast Guard SPARS, ultimately achieving the rank of Lieutenant Junior Grade at the age of 48.

Even though women were held from combat roles officially, it did not hold them back from the realities of war.

They may not have carried a weapon, but they too served on the front lines.

Despite that proximity and the sacrifices they made, their stories have gone untold for decades.

I founded 350 girls because these stories were disappearing.

Not necessarily through intentional neglect, but because public memory often simplifies history.

Simplified history leaves people behind.

It narrows our understanding of who served, who sacrificed, and who contributed to victory.

The reality is military success has always depended upon ordinary individuals undertaking extraordinary responsibilities.

Service has included maintaining aircraft, operating communication systems, managing logistics, treating casualties, repairing equipment, gathering intelligence, and sustaining military operations.

It is also included enduring risk, accepting uncertainty, and for 200 American women making the ultimate sacrifice.

As we gathered today to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country, I hope we also brought in our understanding of service, remembrance, and who belongs within those stories.

I hope that we remember that history is not shaped only by generals, commanders, or the names preserved in our textbooks.

History is also made by the ordinary people willing to do difficult things in uncertain times, by those who answered the call to serve, accepted sacrifice, and often returned home changed, or never returned at all.

Remembrance, then, is more than a reflection.

It is an act of responsibility.

On Memorial Day, we honor those who never came home.

But we also carry forward the responsibility to remember them fully in all their complexity, sacrifice, and humanity.

We honor them by preserving not only the circumstances of their death, but the meaning of their lives.

We honor them by refusing to allow service, sacrifice, or courage to be reduced to a footnote.

May we remember those whose names are familiar and those whose names history nearly lost.

May we remember those whose sacrifices look different from what we expect, and those whose contributions remained unseen for far too long.

And when you leave here today, I ask you to remember an old proverb.

Speak my name, and I am never truly gone.

Today we remember Private Mary Bankston, Cornelia Ford, Lieutenant Francis Slinger, and the 1970 others who have borne the ultimate sacrifice for freedom.

May we honor the fallen not only with ceremonies, but with curiosity, education, and remembrance.

May we remember not only how they died, but how they lived.

And may we ensure that every person who served this nation, regardless of role or recognition, is remembered with the dignity their service or deserves.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mill, thank you for that inspiring uh talk.

And thank you also for uh creating the organization that you spoke about.

At this time, I'd like to ask all the uh veterans in the audience to uh recognize themselves, either stand up or raise your hand, including our active service member Marine here.

Thank you.

Thank you.

We also have a another uh Neurochell uh dignitary here, Mr.

Mark LeClain.

Mark, say hello.

Now uh before I conclude and um introduce our special treat.

I'd like to introduce uh this year's candidate for the Post 8 sponsored Boys State, American Legion Boys State, which is a week of Americana for uh boys who are finishing their junior year.

Uh we've had uh several in the past and this year, uh Mr.

Nicholas Stazio.

Nicholas, would you stand up, be recognized?

Nicholas will report on his experience on uh Veterans Day.

Thank you.

The uh and again before I conclude, uh reminder that we have uh uh the barbecue afterwards, and the special treat is the Charles W.

Dickinson marching band uh who is waiting in the wings outside, and they're gonna be coming in and doing a few tunes for us while we wait for the food to be served.

Uh Bishop Leek, would you do the benediction?

Thank you once again for a wonderful summer room.

Never forgotten and always remembered in your time of solitude, perhaps today or tomorrow.

Just please pause and remember the loss.

And also just remember most importantly, the families of the loss.

And we ask now, as we're dismissed from here first, to bless the food that we're about to receive, the nourishment of our bodies.

And dear God, finally, we thank you for being with us, and we thank you for watching over us as we leave this place today.

Keep us in the center of thy will and bless us and strengthen us.

We pray, and all that agree say amen.

Thank you very much.

This concludes our uh ceremony for today.

I would be remiss though if I didn't remind you to uh look on your table side.

One of the missions that the members have adopted is to uh fund another batch of hometown heroes banners in conjunction with the City of Neurochell, and we're having a fundraiser on June 6th to raise money for that uh cause so that the families of the uh of the uh service members do not have to make any contribution whatsoever.

So thank you all for coming.

And um the Charles W.

Dickinson marching band will be uh coming through the uh entrance way any second now.

My name is David Nelson, we're members of the Charles W.

Dickinson Fireman Vugle Court here in Nurse.

We've been sent transferred from nineteen twenty-nine troop sixteen to thirty-nine to Macy O'Bacon post twenty-eight eighty-two VFW, and then in nineteen fifty-two became independent organization you see today, Charles W.

Dickinson in memory of one of our buglers who died at Tuskegee training incident in uh Tuskegee, Alabama.

So today we're gonna perform a little bit for you in honor of all of all those brothers who passed away and those who served in the military for the years of beyond.

Come on, let's really hear it.

The bass drummer is our very own post age second vice commander, Al Thomas.

What a special treat.

Uh let's uh let you know that uh Billy and uh Jimmy are back at the bar for uh beer and soda purchases.

Some of the ladies will be circulating with a uh fifty fifty cup uh for a drawing uh as we have uh lunch.

So we're welcome to uh stay.

I thank you to the uh fire department on the guard and do a show, uh police honor guard.

Uh appreciate you uh attending and uh participating.

And I know Bishop Leak wants to say a few words.

I just would like to say the Charles W Dickinson band that you just saw.

They've always been a main staple in this community.

As you see, there's about four or five members now that are dwindling down, and they're looking for new recruits.

And we should always try to preserve this.

Just see one of them and give them some they'll give you some information, but they're looking for new recruits.

They do have fifers here.

They have a full contingent when they're all out and it used to be about 60 or 70 strong but it has dwindled down to this so please we need to uh put the word out if there's any musical people in the community or round they will receive them.

Thank you very much.

Thanks.

Thank you.

Thank you all for coming uh hopefully I'll see you all here on June 6th for uh the Vinnie Pastor Vinny Graziano showcase three to six as you can see on your flyers there.

And again all proceeds will be going towards funding the Hometown Heroes Banners fund so that the families of the servicemen do not have to contribute any money.

Thank you again