Where the fallen ‘are not forgotten’

Mantua Township will host its annual Memorial Day Ceremony on Monday, May 26, at the Veterans Plaza in front of the municipal building.

Before that event begins at 10:30 a.m., there will be a parade featuring uniformed members of the township VFW and Wenonah’s American Legion Post 192 at the intersection of Mantua and Marian avenues in Wenonah at 8:45.

“Our parade is a collaborative effort between Wenonah and Mantua,” said Mantua Veterans Commission chairman Joe Heitman. “We usually have a pretty good crowd. Parents come out to support their kids, and I would say we usually have 50 to 100 people total show up.”

The parade will make stops at area cemeteries before heading to the municipal building, and Clearview High School’s marching band will perform the national anthem and two other patriotic tunes. Also in the parade will be several kids riding bikes decorated in the nation’s colors as part of a yearly contest. Winners are chosen by local organizations such as the police department and Boy and Girl Scouts, among others.

“We’re trying to get the young folks involved and to learn more about this,” Heitman noted. “We get a decent crowd from them.”

Two speakers will be part of the event: Rob Anderson, commander of Mantua’s American Legion Post 305, and township Committeeman Jack Steen.

Every year, the township honors a veteran from Mantua who has passed away either in action or in retirement from the service. This year’s honoree is John George Forsnan, an Army vet who enlisted in 1949 and served in the 82nd airborne unit, completing 16 combat jumps, according to Heitman. He passed away in 2007 and his family will accept a township proclamation on his behalf.

“This event is important because we’re trying to support those who have sacrificed themselves,” Heitman explained. “We want to make sure they’re not forgotten. I would like to see more people lining up the streets.

“There’s a lot of reasons to come out.”