Dozens of residents gathered at Mantua’s municipal court on Memorial Day to honor the lives of those who sacrificed themselves for the country.
The event also saw the involvement of veterans from the Mantua VFW Post 7679 and American Legion Post 192 in Wenonah. The two formed a color guard to display the nation’s colors.
Former Post 7679 Comdr. Martin Valdez was the event’s guest speaker. He spoke to the crowd about the history of Memorial Day and its significance to the country.
“On Saturday,” he said, “as I was leaving my part time job at Wawa, many of my friends and customers wished me a happy Memorial Day. Happy and memorial in the same sentence didn’t sound quite right to me. That’s when I realized I needed a refresher course on this revered holiday, where we honor our fallen soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen who gave up their lives for you and me.”
According to Valdez, one of the first Memorial Days took place on May 1, 1865, in Charleston, South Carolina, where freed slaves honored fallen Civil War Union soldiers by singing hymns and placing flowers on their graves. Three years later, on May 30, 1868, Union Gen. John Logan called for a nationwide day of remembrance.
“It wasn’t until 1950,” Valdez explained, “that Congress passed a resolution, requesting the president to issue a proclamation to observe Memorial Day as a day of prayer for permanent peace.”
Congress eventually passed the Monday Holiday Act in 1968; it designates the last Monday of May as Memorial Day. It would become an official holiday in 1971.
Committeeman Jack Steen thanked those in attendance, including military veterans and the Clearview Regional High School marching band, which performed the national anthem and two other songs.
“Today,” Steen noted, “we pause to reflect on the extraordinary courage and sacrifice of the men and women of our armed forces, giving their lives to the service of our country. These individuals came from towns just like ours. They were sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, parents, friends, neighbors.
“They had dreams,” he added, “plans and futures ahead of them. Yet they chose something greater than themselves – the defense of our nation and the freedoms we enjoy every single day.”
Mayor Robert Zimmerman presented an honoray plaque to the family of U.S. Army veteran John Henry Versland, a township resident who came to the U.S. from Norway at just 17. He had spent some of his childhood hiding from and fearing the Nazis, who occupied his homeland for years during World War II.
Versland was drafted into the Korean War and eventually moved to Mantua after his service. He called the township home until 2017, when he died at 85.
After the Memorial Day ceremonies, attendees were invited to a small rifle salute at the VFW.
Veterans of the Mantua VFW and American Legion Post in Wenonah displayed the nation’s colors during Mantua’s Memorial Day event on May 25.
