Brick Township Set To Honor Armed Forces With 2025 Memorial Day Parade

BRICK, NJ — Brick Township will hold its annual Memorial Day parade and ceremony to honor those who gave their lives in military service to the United States.

The 2025 services will be held Monday, May 26, beginning with a parade from Route 70 down Chambers Bridge Road to the municipal complex, followed by a ceremony at the municipal building.

The parade begins at 10 a.m. Route 70 westbound between Brick Boulevard and Chambers Bridge Road, and Chambers Bridge Road from Route 70 to the municipal building will be closed to motor vehicle traffic beginning approximately 9:30 a.m.

"Let’s come together as a community to celebrate our heroes, remember the fallen and show our deepest gratitude," township officials said. "Bring your flags, your spirit and your support — this is a tradition you don’t want to miss."

The parade and service are part of a nearly 160-year American tradition that pays tribute to military personnel who lost their lives in service to their country. Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, dates back to 1868, when Gen. John A. Logan called for a day of remembrance to honor the Northern lives lost in battle during the Civil War that had ended just a few years earlier, according to History.com.

As time passed, more and more people called it Memorial Day, and it became a federal holiday in 1971.

Waterloo, N.Y., is considered the birthplace of Memorial Day. The town’s observance on May 5, 1866, predated Logan’s call for a day of remembrance. Local businesses closed and residents decorated the graves of fallen soldiers with flowers and flags.

Until World War I, the holiday honored only those soldiers who died while fighting for the Union in the War, as Southern states honored their war dead on a separate day. After the 116,000-plus American deaths in World War I, the tradition changed to remember all who have died while serving in the military.

Every year, a national moment of remembrance is held at 3 p.m. local time on Memorial Day. No matter where they are or what they’re doing, Americans are asked to pause for one minute in silence to remember military personnel who have given their lives in service to their country. According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, the midday time was chosen because it’s a time when many Americans will be enjoying their freedoms on a national holiday.