Memorial Day 2024 In Belleville: Ceremony Planned, Cemetery Tribute

BELLEVILLE, NJ — Several community groups in Belleville recently teamed up for a solemn tribute to fallen soldiers as the 2024 Memorial Day holiday nears.

The bright sunshine and brilliant blue skies made for an emotional scene above the flag-draped graves of thousands of American soldiers on Sunday afternoon at the military circle of Glendale Cemetery in Bloomfield.

Hosted by the Belleville Historical Society, participants included the Belleville American Legion Post 105, Sons of the American Legion and Ladies Auxiliary and Military Order of the Purple Heart Chapter 366.

According to a news release from the society:

“Former Belleville Mayor Mario Drozdz, whose brother, Stan, was killed in action in Vietnam, served as emcee. The Rev. Lawrence Fama, pastor of St. Thomas Church in Bloomfield, offered the opening prayer. Tears fell abundantly as American Legion Commander and Vietnam veteran Joe Cobianchi read the names of the young men who fell in battle, as the Belleville High School Army ROTC Color Guard stood at attention. Marine Corps Vietnam veteran Peter Gasiewicz played ‘Taps.’ The National Anthem was sung by Suburban Chamber of Commerce Trustee Raphael Gavadia.”

Earlier that morning, local Scouts and volunteers set thousands of flags on the graves of all the men who rest there, the society noted.

Over the past two years, the Belleville Historical Society has identified and cleaned the military footstones of the more than 200 soldiers who were killed in battle that are buried in the Laurel Section of the cemetery. See Related: Military Monuments In Essex County Restored On Memorial Day

2024 MEMORIAL DAY CEREMONY

The township will present a Memorial Day ceremony open to the public on Monday, May 27.

According to a municipal advisory, here are the details:

• 11 am - Dutch Reform Church
• Noon - Veterans Memorial Park

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