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| A memorial float |
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| A memorial float |
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| A U.S marine tank |
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| Members of the Excelsior Drum & Bugle Corps |
Today was my first Memorial Day parade in Lansingburgh. I
think I can also say this is my first real Memorial Day parade. There were so
many organizations and community people that were there to support each other.
In my town, there is not that many people who attend and there is not that many
organizations present. It was great to see everyone being proud of where they
come from and supporting this day. I was fortunate enough to speak to several
people. The first group of people I encountered, shown above, are members of
the Excelsior Drum and Bugle Corps. This corporation is located in Troy, NY,
but the people I met were not from Lansingburgh nor Troy. Instead, they were
from surrounding areas who loved to play music. Music wasn’t the other thing
these people had in common, they all knew someone who was serving in the
military. The girl stretched out on the floor explained to me that serving in
the military was a family honor, and that many of the men in her family served
the country. Other members have uncles, brothers, and sisters in the military
as well. Although they do not know anyone who has sacrificed their life serving
the country, they still give thanks to their family members. I then asked the
group how long they have been playing in the Lansingburgh parade. While for
many it was their first year playing, the Excelsior Drum and Bugle Corporation
has been participating in the parade since it began. I was also lucky enough to
speak to a teacher of the Rotterdam School District. Since she understood the
struggles of research, she was more than willing to answer some questions. While
this was her first year attending the parade with her own family, she has been
watching the parade for many years. The teacher grew up in Lansingburgh as a
child, and always loved seeing the marching bands. This year, she was showing
her own two children the marching bands which she loved to listen to as a child.
The teacher just moved back to Lansingburgh with her husband and two children
to be closer to her family and to come back to the tight-knit community. One
man who I was much honored to meet was Dennis Perpetua. Dennis served in the
Navy for 5 years, and was a soldier in the Vietnam War. He was nineteen years
old when he served this country. Mr. Perpetua said that he used to come to the
parade every year, but stopped because of illness. But Dennis has made it this
year, and continues to come. What broke my heart is to hear Mr. Perpetua say
that all of the friends he had while serving, died while in combat in the
Vietnam War. As I continuously thanked him for his courage it occurred to me
that the men and women serving are very brave and strong. They go through the
most horrific events and still manage to have a smile on their face and go
about life. I was glad to see Dennis enjoy the parade with his wife, and honor
his friends. From the beginning of the parade, I could tell that the people of
Lansingburgh had all intentions of remembering those who died in service. Every
time veterans passed, everyone was silent and clapped. The respect they had for
each other was amazing. While the majority of the people seemed to be of Caucasian
race, there were many other multicultural people. Whatever their reason may be
for attending the parade, the community respected the veterans and remembered
those who sacrificed their lives for our freedom.
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