Thousands of Darienites lined the Post Road, waving flags and cheering as veterans, bands and childrens groups passed by. Thats right, its Memorial Day, and it seems like the whole town came out Monday morning to celebrate.
Dozens of groups were well-represented in the march from Goodwives shopping center to Spring Grove Veterans cemetery. The Police Color Guard led the way, followed by this years grand marshal, World War II veteran Walter Ericsson, the memorial service guest speaker, DHS student Michelle DeSoiza, and First Selectman Davis Campbell and other town and state officials. The Darien High School Marching Band played their classic marches, leading the way for the Veterans of Foreign Wars representatives and other former servicemen and women.
The parade also featured the towns volunteer emergency service groups, including the Red Cross, EMS Post 53 and the three fire departments, who brought out antique fire trucks for the occasion. Many nonprofit groups joined in, including Person-to-Person, the Darien Community Association, Kiwanis, the Rotary Club, and the Lions Club also joined in the parade. The children of Darien were also out in full force, with the towns Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, and Girls Scouts marching in full uniform, and the YMCA Guides and Princesses in full Native American costume. These are just a select few of the many groups that had a part in todays festivities.
After the parade, a crowd gathered in the Veterans Cemetery to honor those who gave their lives while serving in the Armed Forces. Rev. Dr. Paul Carling of St. Lukes Episcopal Church started with the prayer of invocation. Monuments and Ceremonies Commission chair Phil Kraft followed by introducing the town officials at the event and the days speakers. Next up were Holmes School fifth-graders Maren Hersam, Katie Huffert and Jana Powers, who led the congregation in the Pledge of Allegiance.
Campbell followed with the traditional Roll of Honor, naming the 92 Darien residents who died on duty from the Civil War, World Wars I and II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. Next came a history lesson, with Life Scout David Morgan reading the 1963 order instituting the first Memorial Day and Girl Scout Nicole Gutierrez reading the Gettysburg Address. The readings were both followed by the DHS Tudor Singers renditions of the National Anthem and God Bless America, respectively.
Finally, it was time for the guest speaker, Michelle DeSoiza, co-founder of Support our Soldiers, a group that sends letters and care packages to troop overseas, among other projects. Memorial Day is one day that is so momentous, so heavy, that there are simply no words strong enough to express its importance, DeSoiza said, dressed in her Civil Air Patrol uniform. To describe the lives given, the duties filled and the prices paid to make this holiday so necessary is beyond the capabilities of the English language.
When speaking to one veteran last year, I asked him what he would ask of the youngest generation, given anything he could ever wish for, she added. He told me that he would ask for us to find a way to make a world where veterans no longer exist. He wanted us to find a way to do away with war. He knew it was an impossible dream, but I think the way my generation is headed, and I think that maybe its not so impossible.
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