Memorial Day 2023: Observances in Holmdel And Hazlet

HOLMDEL-HAZLET, NJ — The upcoming Memorial Day services in Holmdel and Hazlet are part of a nearly 160-year American tradition that pays tribute to military personnel who lost their lives in service to their country.

The solemn ceremonies May 29 are the highlight of the three-day Memorial Day Weekend, May 27 to May 29 this year.

Services in the area include:

Holmdel: The township ceremony is May 29 at 10:30 a.m., Town Hall, 4 Crawfords Corner Road, Holmdel.

Hazlet: The township ceremony, "Remembering Our Fallen Heroes," is May 29 at 10 a.m., at Veterans Park, 1776 Union Ave., Hazlet. Bring chairs. Light refreshments to follow.

Holmdel: New Jersey Vietnam Veterans' Memorial and Museum; ceremony is Memorial Day, May 29, at 11 a.m., 1 Memorial Lane, Holmdel. Former Gov. Whitman to make a special address. See Patch story. Keynote speaker is a Goldstar family member; a special presentation will be made; a former Miss New Jersey will perform as singer.

As the national observance has changed over the years, many families also use Memorial Day as an occasion to visit Holmdel and Hazlet-area cemeteries and leave flowers at the graves of family members, regardless of whether they served in the military.

Memorial Day Weekend is also the unofficial kickoff to summer in Holmdel and Hazlet. Another type of ceremony is offered here:

• Longstreet Farm, a Monmouth County park in Holmdel has a Decoration Day Celebration Monday, May 29 from noon to 3 p.m. Enjoy the company of family and friends at Longstreet Farm as it honors this early American holiday.

The history of 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 amid 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.