Only one full day is dedicated to honor the ultimate sacrifices made by Americans in war – Memorial Day. Owego and Tioga County’s Memorial Day Parade at 10:30 a.m. and Service of Remembrance at 11 a.m. on Monday, May 28, will remember those young Americans who had lives that were only beginning and cut short so the rest of us could pursue our dreams.
A Roll Call of Honor – Remembering and Honoring deceased veterans eternally sleeping in Tioga County cemeteries, will begin at 8 a.m. at the Tioga County Veterans Memorial. Honored names of veterans are read aloud by Mary Beth Jones, Tioga County Courier editor and JoAnn Walter, Owego Pennysaver correspondent and Trustee of Riverside Cemetery-Apalachin.
At the Courthouse Square, and before the parade at 9 a.m., the Honor Guard of the Glenn A. Warner Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1371 and their Auxiliary will pay tribute to all Pearl Harbor Survivors, as well as Delmar Sibley, the first Tioga County World War II casualty who will forever remain aboard the USS Arizona in Pearl Harbor.
Two Memorial Day Masses will be celebrated in church. Father Thomas Valenti at 8:30 a.m. at St. James Church in Waverly, and Father Anthony Amato at 9 a.m. at St. Patrick’s Church in Owego. The Reading of Honored Names of their Buried Veterans will be included in the services.
The downtown parade welcomes all male and female veterans from all war eras. Strongly encouraged are Veterans of Modern Warfare. Their military service from 1990 – the time of the Persian Gulf War, which ushered in a new era of modern warfare – followed by Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan through the present.
Gold Star Mothers and families invited. Also, all surviving former POWs and their families and families of deceased POWs are invited. Former POWs are urged to make their presence known to parade officials for appropriate recognition.
Parade Marshall John Loftus says the parade will step off at 10:30 a.m. from the Owego Police Station on Temple Street. Those marching must line up on Temple Street by side of the Presbyterian Church before 10:25 a.m. The parade route is Temple to North to Main (past the VFW) to Paige to Front (past the American Legion) to the Tioga County Veterans Memorial on the south lawn of the Tioga County Court House.
Also, on Saturday, July 14, attend the ceremony at Owego Free Academy honoring Vietnam Veterans before they leave on the tenth annual Rt. 38, Vietnam Veterans Memorial Highway of Valor Tribute Ride from Owego north to Hannibal near Sterling. Motorcycles cover 95 miles in over two hours. They refuel and eat and pay tribute to Congressional Medal of Honor Recipient USMC 2nd Lt. Terrence Graves at his Memorial in Groton.
Brothers Bill and John Chandler updated the Tioga County Veterans Memorial for Memorial Day 2014. The Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 480 cleaned all the monuments on Wednesday, May 9.
The Chandlers added a Second World War II Monument with the honored names not on the original and an Iraq and Afghanistan Monument. In center front there is a new Monument honoring four Tioga County Medal of Honor Recipients. This is placed on a stone base. On top is a Bronze Statue of A War Memorial Battle Cross Boot, Rifle and Helmet. A Tioga County War Service Medal is attached.
Two new flagpoles fly the American flag. Poles above the monuments fly one of the five branches of service flag for Marines, Army, Navy, Air Force and Coast Guard.
You can read more about Memorial Day in the upcoming weeks.
If you wish more information about being part of Owego’s Memorial Day parade, contact VFW Post 1371 Memorial Day Chairman Jim Raftis by email to jaftis2@sty.rr.com, or call 687-4229.
Be the first to comment on "Memorial Day In Owego"