Ogunquit - York News
A day to remember those who gave their lives for freedom
By Jennifer L. Saunders and C. Ayn Douglass
Brownie Girl Scouts Erin McCafferty, left, and Emma Thompson of Troop 1378 hold a banner and get ready to march as York's Memorial Day Parade departed from St. Christopher's Church at 9 a.m. on Monday, May 29.
Photo by Jennifer L. Saunders
About a dozen scouting organizations were among the hundreds who gathered in the First Parish Cemetery following the York Memorial Day Parade on Monday, May 29, to honor those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for the cause of freedom. Above, several Boy Scouts listened intently as U.S. Air Force Brigadier General Roger Clements and retired Navy Admiral Gus Kinnear spoke about the importance of the day.
Photo by Jennifer L. Saunders
That was the sentiment of the messages of hope and remembrance shared by U.S. Air Force Brigadier General Roger Clements and Retired Navy Admiral Gus Kinnear, who offered patriotic remarks to the crowds at York's First Parish Cemetery at the end of the town's the parade.
The event began with each marching unit arriving at St. Christopher's Church. Firefighters, police, military personnel, color guards, the York High School and York Middle School bands, The American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars, a delegation of Vietnam War veterans, members of the 157th Refueling Wing of the New Hampshire Air National Guard and dozens of Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts of all ages - just to name a few - gathered in the early morning hours on Monday to be ready to begin the procession along York Street to the First Parish Cemetery.
Meanwhile, crowds lined York Street to wave and cheer those who had served and join with those who in the parade to honor them.
Once the parade reached the entrance of the First Parish Cemetery, the mood became somber. Residents of all ages filed into the cemetery, some waving flags, others carrying them. The crowds surrounded the hillside where guest speakers - including Sen. Mary Black Andrews, R-York, Navy Lt. J.G. Robert Johnson of the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard and American Legion Chaplain Jim Fitzpatrick - waited to address the crowds.
As Johnson offered the opening prayer, he spoke of the thousands of men and women who have served the nation in times of war and peace.
Andrews then shared a definition of the Pledge of Allegiance written by Red Skelton, urging children and adults alike to listen to each line and to recognize the privilege and the responsibility of being American.
Parade Grand Marshal Rafael Santiago, a veteran of the war in Iraq, and members of the American Legion Color Guard raised the flag over the ceremony while the York High School Band played patriotic tunes.
Clements spoke next, reminding the crowd of the importance of Memorial Day as "a day to remember the servicemen and women who have fallen for our country."
Clements shared stories of tragedy and triumph from his years of service in the Air Force, including the story of one serviceman who, after losing his leg, struggled with despair upon his return home. Clements said he, too, struggled with what he should tell the young soldier until he arrived at his hospital bed the next day. The young man told Clements he had found peace in the realization that he - unlike so many others - had made it home.
He shared the young man's words, "I'm going to live every day for those who didn't make it back," and challenged everyone to do the same.
Kinnear, too, urged the crowds never to forget the importance of Memorial Day, and added that in seeing the strong turnout for York's events, "At least in York, the future of Memorial Day is well assured."
In his closing prayer, Fitzpatrick asked for all to be mindful of the supreme sacrifice of those who lost their lives in serving the country.
The York Police Department Honor Guard and American Legion Color Guard then presented arms as the York High School Band performed "Taps" and the York ceremony ended with a gun salute. Throughout the cemetery, the crowd was silent as veterans from each war including and after World War II stood at attention with their eyes on the flag.
The scene was a similar one in Ogunquit, where Shore Road and Beach Street were lined with people to watch the Ogunquit parade.
Participants stopped first at Firemen's Park to lay a wreath on the memorial honoring deceased members of the force. They then marched down Beach Street to toss a wreath into the waters of the Ogunquit River and gathered at Veteran's Park to hear speakers who commemorated the heroism of members of the military in past conflicts and wars and to pray for those serving in trouble spots around the world.
Ogunquit's ceremony, however, was not without some controversy.
Rev. John Grant of the Congregational Church in Wells, himself a former prisoner of war in Korea, remembered his release from captivity and how much it meant to him to see the American flag as he crossed over the bridge to freedom.
"I saw thousands of soldiers standing guard, saw the flag fully unfurled - and there are few sounds that mean more than an unfurled flag blowing. The mere sight of Old Glory reminded me of home," he said.
Grant said he has seen a decline in patriotism over the years, specifically the 1989 decision by the United States Supreme Court "that overturned 200 years of protecting the flag," by the court's failure to protect the flag from desecration. He said citizens should be aware that the legislature is now attempting to rectify that Supreme Court's decision by adding an amendment to the Constitution.
At that point an audience member, Ogunquit resident Bob Glidden, an Air Force veteran, shouted out, "This is a political speech."
Grant ignored Glidden and other people who also asked him to stick to the purpose of the Memorial Day service and continued the thread of his speech.
Ogunquit Fire Chief Ed Smith pulled the power cord to the microphone system and those gathered at Veteran's Park then broke into a spontaneous version of "God Bless America."
Following the ceremony, Glidden said, "This was a political speech and not appropriate here to honor veterans."
