Roughly a few dozen people braved the rain at Richwood United Methodist Church’s cemetery on May 25 for the church and the township’s annual Memorial Day service.
Richwood was the fourth and last stop in a series of township events on the holiday; others were at Mullica Hill Baptist Church, Old Town Hall and the veteran’s memorial in William Wilt Park.
Leading the Richwood event was Rev. Steven Herman, a veteran.
“On this Memorial Day,” he said in the opening prayer, “we remember the ultimate sacrifice the over one million American service members have made throughout our history. Today we remember the cost paid and the debt we cannot repay.”
Herman also invited the crowd to participate in the opening and closing prayers, as well as the liturgy of remembrance.
“Today we remember the young men and women who served our nation and did not return,” he noted during the liturgy. “We will remember. Those who gave their lives on land, on the sea and in the air, we will remember. Those laid to rest in foreign lands, we will remember. The families left behind to grieve,we will remember.
“Grateful and humbled by their sacrifice, we will remember.”
The Memorial Day service also included a musical performance of the song “Tell My Father,” with Jake Stiles on vocals, Mildred Herman on keyboard and Toni Benecchi on the violin. The piece is from the musical “The Civil War,” and concerns a dying Union soldier who requests a comrade tell the soldier’s father he died with honor.
Bagpipe player David Cohen also performed “Sleep, Dearie, Sleep,” a Scottish lament usually played at the funerals of fallen soldiers and monarchs, according to the event’s program notes. As the song is played, the bagpiper slowly walks away, symbolizing the soul of the fallen soldier being escorted to heaven.
Mayor Adam Wingate was in attendance for the cemetery service. He addressed the importance of Memorial Day in a message to the community before the holiday event.
“While we enjoy the long weekend,” he explained, “Memorial Day also reminds us to pause and honor the brave men and women of our armed forces and their families, who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. As we gather with loved ones this Memorial Day weekend, may we never forget those who gave everything for the freedoms and opportunities we enjoy today.”
Toni Benecchi (left to right), Jake Stiles and Mildred Herman perform “Tell My Father” during the Richwood United Methodist Church Memorial Day service on May 25.
Veterans from American Legion Post 452 braved the rain to honor America’s fallen.
