“This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave.”
Unknown author
On Memorial Day, we honor those brave heroes who stood on the Wall of Freedom and paid
the ultimate sacrifice for our country. The first Memorial Day dates to the Civil War era, when a group of Southern women decorated the graves of soldiers from both the Confederate and Union armies who died in battle.
The first national Memorial Day observance was in May 1868. In 1873, New York was the first state to
legalize the holiday and by 1890, all the Northern states celebrated Memorial Day on May 30. In
1971, the observance date was changed to the last Monday in May.
In World War I, 116,516 troops died for our country and 405,399 gave their lives in World War
II. The Korean War took 33,686 heroes and in Vietnam, 50,209 paid the ultimate price. The
number of American troops who have died fighting the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan totals more than
7,000.
One of the more compelling tributes to our fallen troops is the National Vietnam Veterans
Memorial in Washington, D.C. In 1988, I made my first visit to the wall, and it was quite an
emotional experience. Some visitors knelt in prayer, some left tokens of remembrance while
others sketched the names of their loved ones onto a piece of paper.
The names on the wall are arranged by date in the order in which they were taken from us, and within each date, the names are alphabetized. There are three sets of fathers and sons honored
and 31 sets of brothers. Almost 4,000 on the memorial were just 22 or younger, and 8,283 were
only 19 years old.
The largest age group taken was 18 years old, and numbered 33,103. Twelve soldiers were only 17, five were only 16 and one was only 15. On their first day in Vietnam, 997 troops lost their lives, while 1,448 were killed on their last day of service there.
For many, Memorial Day marks the unofficial beginning of summer. For others, it is a day for
barbecues, picnics and parades. For all of us, it should be a day to honor those Americans who
gave their lives for our country.
Please join us for the annual Kirkwood Memorial Day parade and service led by the Voorhees
Township Fire Department. The parade will start at 11 a.m. from the former Carriage House
Restaurant located at 1219 Kirkwood-Gibbsboro Road, and will proceed down Gibbsboro Road,
turn right onto Walnut Avenue, left onto the 2nd Avenue, right onto Chestnut
Avenue and right onto Burnt Mill Road, ending at the veterans memorial adjacent to the
Kirkwood Fire Station, where the wreath ceremony and memorial service will start at 11:30 a.m.
Special thanks to Terri and Vaughn Vandegrift for organizing this community tradition.
Honor our fallen heroes by enjoying barbecues, parades and picnics. Honor them by embracing
your family. Honor them by cherishing your freedom. They would have wanted it that way.
Summer hours for town hall will be in effect from Tuesday through Sept. 2. Township offices will be open Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and closed on Friday.
The Voorhees Cultural and Diversity Committee invites you to join iton Saturday, June 21,
for a Freedom Day celebration in honor of Juneteenth. The free event will take place from 1 to 4 p.m. at Connolly Park. Fun activities include music, performances, food trucks, arts and crafts
and much more. For more information, please contact Jennifer Stewart at
jbstewart421@gmail.com.
The Voorhees Township 2025 summer concert series at Connolly Park is back! Come
out with your chairs and blankets and enjoy these great free shows. The first show is on
Thursday, June 26, at 7 p.m., and will feature The FM Band. The second show is on
Thursday, July 17, at 7 p.m., with Tramps Like Us, a Bruce Springsteen tribute band. On
Thursday, Aug. 21, at 7 p.m. the Beat Tells will greet the audience with their tribute to the
Beatles.
The shows will be even more enjoyable with a Dooney’s Pub mobile bar and a
variety of food trucks. For more information, visit voorheesnj.com, the township
Facebook page or call the show hotline at (856) 882-SHOW.
Poll workers are needed. Serve your community on Election Day. You need to be a
registered voter living in Camden County with transportation, have the desire to help your neighbors
vote and be ready to get paid $300 for your service. Training will be provided.
For more information, call (856) 401-8683
