The township’s annual Memorial Day ceremony will be held at Memorial Field on Monday at 10 a.m., rain or shine.
The ceremony offers the community an opportunity to honor the men and women who paid the ultimate sacrifice while serving in the U.S. Armed Forces.
This year marks the 40th anniversary of the event, which has taken place under the direction of Gold Star Mother Judith Young, who took over from Jean Gash in 1986. Young’s son, Sgt. Jeffrey Young, died in the 1983 bombing of the Marine barracks in Beirut, Lebanon.
Five years ago, Young passed her responsibilities to Brooke Van Saun, who, along with her husband, Army Reserves Lt. Col. Alan Van Saun, continues the solemn Memorial Day tradition. When the couple moved to Moorestown, they were interested in doing something veteran-related for the community, so Brooke reached out to former mayor Nicole Gillespie, who put her in touch with Young.
Alan served as the ceremony’s guest speaker in 2021, and after that, Young asked Brooke if she wanted to take over. Brooke felt very honored to be asked, she said, specifically because the ceremony is so near and dear to Judith’s heart.
“It was exactly what I would want to be involved in, knowing that I would be carrying on such a meaningful tradition,” Brooke recalled. “It has connected me with so many other members of the community like the Girl Scouts, the Boy Scouts, the American Legion …
“And I just feel better connected to our town,” she added, “and I’ve learned that there are so many veterans who live in town, which is very heartwarming, and after being a part of the military for 15 years, it’s just a really good feeling to still continue to be around service members.”
The township ceremony will include a presentation of colors, a reading of names on the memorial wall and a wreath presentation by the Girl Scouts. Taps will be played by a member of the high-school band and American Legion Post 42 will fire a 21-gun salute.
This year’s guest speaker is longtime Moorestown resident Brandon Pugh, principal cyber advisor to the secretary of the Army at the Pentagon. He’s responsible for advising the secretary and the Army’s chief of staff on all cyber; electronic warfare; and information advantage matters, including readiness, budget, capabilities and strategy.
In that role, Pugh is the equivalent of a three-star general officer. He remains in the U.S. Army Reserve as a national security law professor at the Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Legal Center and School in Charlottesville, Virginia. Pugh previously served as a paratrooper and international law officer and was the trial counsel and primary legal advisor for a combat aviation brigade.
Outside of his military service, Pugh has held multiple roles in the cyber and national security arenas in the public and private sectors. He’s been published dozens of times and appeared on C-SPAN and other national networks. He has received awards for his work from Congress and state legislators and served two terms on the township board of education.
“It really brings our community together to honor the fallen who gave everything for our country,” Brooke explained. “Memorial Day is more than opening weekend at the Jersey Shore or the unofficial start of summer. It’s about the 1% of our population who choose to serve our country and know that there is a chance that war could happen and that they could lose their lives.
“Sadly, we’ve lost too many,” she added, “but it’s the best way possible for our community to honor the fallen by having this ceremony every year.”
Longtime Moorestown resident Brandon Pugh serves in the U.S. Army Reserves. He will be the Memorial Day ceremony’s guest speaker.
