Highland remembers

Ceremony commemorates Memorial Day

By Mark Reynolds
Posted 5/31/22

On a perfect spring morning, after a three year hiatus, the Highland community held a Memorial Day parade that culminated in a solemn ceremony in the town square.

Firefighter Frank Piscopo opened …

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Highland remembers

Ceremony commemorates Memorial Day

Posted

On a perfect spring morning, after a three year hiatus, the Highland community held a Memorial Day parade that culminated in a solemn ceremony in the town square.

Firefighter Frank Piscopo opened the ceremony with the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by Alan Spaulding singing the National Anthem.

Fr. John Lynch, of St. Augustine’s, asked people to, “remember our fallen heroes, our brothers and sisters in the military and let us look upon them not only with great gratitude but with respect for what they have done for us. They have taught us what love of country looks like and will often ask of us all the ultimate sacrifice, which we know they did not hesitate to give.”

American Legion Chaplain Joe Cooper gave the invocation.

“Almighty God in your hands are the living and the dead. We give you thanks for all those, our comrades, who have laid down their lives in the service of our country. May they rest in peace and may the light perpetual shine upon them.”

Legion Commander Terry Elia asked people to remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice, “so we can live in this free country. Take time to remember those who gave their lives and the families that lost loved ones.”

John Fraino placed a wreath before a monument in the town square. It was noted that wreaths were also placed at all of the town cemeteries and at the town park.

The late Veteran Olaf ‘Sandy’ Olsen [1922-2021] was this year’s Grand Marshall, honoring his service in the Navy on the submarine Spadefish in WW II.

Supervisor Dave Plavchak said, “As we observe this Memorial Day we do more than simply carry beyond that tradition that dates back to 1866, but we also fulfill a commitment to some very special people, who are people we praise and are honored to praise. They were once ordinary people just like the rest of us in the crowd but they accomplished something much more extraordinary. These are people who came from all walks of life but never returned from battle. They answered the call to duty, thereby giving us today, tomorrow and our future.”

Highland Fire Chief Peter Miller said, “We’re all here to honor those that did not survive the wars that we’ve been in but fought bravely to ensure that we have the freedoms that we have today.”

Miller highlighted similarities of firefighting and Memorial Day.

“For more than 200 years our men and women in uniform have for this nation kept our collective way of life, rights and freedoms intact,” he said adding that if firefighters were critical of each other, their effectiveness would be blunted when coming to the aid of residents suffering a catastrophe on the worst day of their lives. “So across our communities and our country we need to unite, stay strong, solve the problems, and give purpose to those who protect us daily around the world and continue to honor those who gave all for us to have this way of life and enjoy what we have today.”

Leo Bojadaj release of numerous white doves was a symbol of those who gave the ultimate sacrifice. It was followed by a 21 gun salute by the American Legion and the singing of ‘God Bless America.’