Doylestown Pays Tribute To The Fallen With Parade, Ceremonies

DOYLESTOWN, PA — In a tradition dating back more than a century and a half, Doylestown honored its fallen heroes on Monday with a parade like no other.

Stretching from one end of town to the other, hundreds joined this year's march in a tribute to the men and women who gave their all on the battlefields of history.

Local veterans led the parade, carrying the colors in remembrance of their fallen comrades and no doubt thinking about friends and loved ones they lost in war. Their appearance brought sustained applause along the crowded parade route.

Flags were the order of the day. held in the hands of the youngest infant to the oldest veteran.

Veterans waved from floats, some wearing their military uniforms and decorations. And bands from throughout the Central Bucks School District performed patriotic music, including medleys featuring the songs of the U.S. Armed Forces.

Doylestown Fire Company No. 1 rolled through town with its antique Ahrens “Fox” Pumper. And the Village Improvement Association turned back the clocks with an appearance by Visiting Nurse Miss Munsey.

Numerous community groups and organizations also joined the march including the Kin Wellness Center and Main Street, the Lenape Valley Foundation, the League of Women Voters, the Republicans and Democrats, the Fitzpatrick School of Irish Dance, the American Red Cross, the Town & Country Players, and Lighthouse Baptist Church.

Also joining the lineup were numerous Scouting and athletic organizations, including the Doylestown Rugby team, the Doylestown Athletic Association, Camp Curiosity, and others.

Following the parade, veterans from throughout Central Bucks gathered at the Doylestown Cemetery to pay tribute to the fallen by laying wreaths, sounding taps, and offering prayers.

"These graves represent the resting places of many departed Americans who served in all of our wars," said Staff Sergeant Dave Jacoby of the 111th Attack Wing at Biddle Air Force Base. "Wherever the body of a person who once served in our Armed Forces lies, there the ground is hallowed.

"Our presence here today, in solemn commemoration of these men and women, is an expression of and our tribute to their devotion to duty, to their courageousness, to their patriotism," said Jacoby. "By their service on land, on sea and in the air, they have made us their debtors because in no small way they are responsible for our freedom today.

"Because of the efforts of our fallen brothers and sisters, the flag of our great nation still flies over the land of a free people. We are the land of the free because of the brave," he said.

The parade is organized by Doylestown Borough in conjunction with local veterans organizations. Serving as the parade marshal is U.S. Navy Veteran Chris Suessenguth, who served from 1977 to 1984.