Memorial Day Parade to Honor All Lindy Vets

The annual sponsored by the United Veterans Council of Lindenhurst is set for Monday, May 28.

It’ll begin at 8:30 a.m. at Breslau Cemetery on North Monroe Avenue, according Harry Pro, organizer of the parade for the Council, and will feature the bagpipe band from the American Legion in Lindenhurst. 

Veterans Encouraged to March
The ceremonies honor those who've lost their lives fighting and continue to fight for the United States and serve their country. And that includes veterans of all wars, including the most recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

In fact, acccording to Pro, the Council would love to have more veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan walk in the parade, and has been trying to get the word out to them.

"Any and all vets are allowed and encouraged to walk in Monday's parade," Pro told Lindenhurst Patch. "We especially would like to see vets from Iraq and Afghanistan come down and march with us."

The Route and Participants
That marching route is the same one that's been on file with the Village of Lindenhurst and Suffolk County Police First Precinct for years.

So, following services at the cemetery, the veterans will walk out West onto Newark Avenue to North Delaware Avenue heading South then West on Charles Street, past Firemen's Park, onto Hartford Street and toward North Wellwood Avenue.

There the will join the parade, following services performed at the Firemen's Park Pavilion in front of its memorial statue, according to Pro. Many of the ’s trucks will also be involved.

The parade also features Girl and Boy Scout troops, the Ladies’ Auxiliary, Coast Guard Auxiliary, as well as the and bands.

It'll head South on Wellwood toward the World War I monument at the plaza on Hoffman and Wellwood Avenues, south of the LIRR tracks.

Scout troops in attendance will be asked to join in the ceremony at the monument.

"We'll have services there to honor our veterans, and then head down to , where the reviewing stand will be set up opposite the building. That's where we'll hold the final services of the day, and hear from VIPs," Pro said.

Pro said everyone involved in the parade usually walks right past the reviewing stand and then heads East down Herbert Avenue toward the American Legion Hall.

And he's hoping that everyone does the same once again this year, including all of the students and scouts involved with the parade.

As the marching winds down the last set of services will take place at the reviewing stand, Pro said, who noted there'll be benedictions from a variety of priests and ministers from the various religious insitutions in the Village and remarks from a variety of elected officials.

Those on the invited list this year include Mayor Tom Brennan, the Village Board of Trustees, Town Supervisor Richard Schaffer, Suffolk County Legislator and Deputy Presiding Officer Wayne Horsley and New York State Senator Owen Johnson.

The National Anthem will also be sung at all three ceremony locations, noted Pro. And it'll be sung at Village Hall by 16-year-old LHS student Abigail Gilliam, according to esident Liz Guglielmo, who's involved with the American Legion Hall.

The LHS JROTC will participate, as well, act as color guard, and Pro has put in a request with Albany to also have a military reserves color guard and was waiting to hear back about the request at presstime.

Pro noted there'll be free hot dogs and soda at the VFW Hall as part of an open house. Free hot dogs and Coca Cola will also be served at the American Legion Hall, according to Guglielmo.

In the Event of Rain
If it should rain or the weather become iffy like it was last year, then Pro said the plan is to have services, flags and speeches inside at the LMS auditorium at 10 a.m.

To help avoid confusion Pro said residents with any questions about whether or not the parade will take place due to weather concerns could call the VFW Hall at 631-888-9854 early Monday morning.

"I'll be there at the Hall. And we'll decide that morning by 7:30 a.m. whether or not to move forward with the parade at 8:30 a.m. or move it inside to the middle school at 10 a.m.," said Pro.

He also said the decision could also be that the parade is delayed if the weather starts out inclement but is expected to clear, when it was rescheduled to 10 a.m.

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