Mayor's Memorial Day Message

Good Morning,

Commander Bryer, Grand Marshals, James V. Campanella and Joseph A. Kinney, our fellow Mayors Abbot, Alessi, Dassing, Duthie, Gasparini, our Council colleagues, family, friends, and neighbors:

Welcome to the West Essex Memorial Day Ceremony and welcome to West Caldwell.

It is always an honor to speak on behalf of our West Essex communities, but it is especially an honor and humbling to stand here today and speak about the many American heroes we honor on this special day. 

We also think about their families and friends, perhaps people we know personally, and we mark this special day by celebrating their legacy while grieving their absence in our lives.

For a long time, Memorial Day seemed at risk of becoming just another day off work. 

A reason to have a picnic or barbecue. The opening of the community pool. Or, the beginning of summer vacation. 

But in recent years a new awareness of the sacrifices our military members are making is emerging, becoming an ingrained part of our American experience. 

Perhaps the shared experience of seeing today’s young men and women fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, or it could even be the many movies and TV shows that suddenly have shed new light on the real sacrifices our service members make. 

Of course today we equally honor service men and women, but the sentiment remains crystal clear. A key component of our nation’s greatness lies in our ability to honor, appreciate, and cherish, through our actions and our memories, all those who died to ensure our freedom.

We often hear that freedom has a price and that each generation pays its due.  Today is our day to say thank you to those who for generations have foot the bill; to those who have paid so dearly—with their lives. And to their families and friends whose lives are forever changed and to whom we owe an enormous debt.

We must teach others, particularly our children, about the sacrifices that have been made on our behalf so that we might continue to enjoy the liberties and freedoms granted in our Constitution. 

We must help future generations understand that, politics aside, the act of committing yourself to your country and being willing to fight for the freedom of others is among the most noble of endeavors. 

We must find ways to ensure the legacy of our heroes endures in what has become a “sound-bite” culture. These dedicated men and women are worth more than that–more than a 20-second sound-bite. Their history deserves telling and re-telling. Find a way in your life—at work or home, at church or a youth group meeting, wherever—to keep their memories alive. Honor their sacrifices, tell their stories, and cherish their memories.

And finally, continue to gather together on this special day each year to pay homage to each of them. Make this day an annual reminder of the need to give of yourself in honor of those who have given everything. 

All of the good we do in the world today is because of the legacy given to us by those who gave their lives in service. We pay tribute to these heroes.

Thank you for being here today to help celebrate the lives and legacies of those we have lost, lost but never forgotten and always, always honored.