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<\/a>From left, Deacon Michael Donovan, Memorial Day ceremony emcee, Iraq Gold Star Mother Barbara Bilbrey, Vietnam Veteran Lew Sauerbrey, and Memorial Day Chairman Jim Raftis, Sr. salute and place their hands over their hearts while V.F.W. 1371 member Steve Palinosky performs Taps at the conclusion of the Memorial Day ceremony, held in Owego, N.Y. on May 27. (JoAnn R. Walter Photo)<\/p><\/div>\n
Barbara Bilbrey, Gold Star Mother to Specialist Charles Bilbrey, Jr., served as Master of Ceremonies.<\/p>\n
Bilbrey, Jr. was born and raised in Owego, a member of Scout Troop 38, and graduated from OFA. He was killed in action in 2007 while serving in Iraq, and now rests in Owego\u2019s St. Patrick\u2019s Cemetery. His name is engraved on the Modern Warfare Memorial. <\/p>\n
<\/a>he Memorial Day Chairman, Jim Raftis, Sr., is joined by remembrance ceremony emcee and Iraq War Gold Star Mother Barbara Bilbrey, along with members of V.F.W. 1371 and other guests following the annual Memorial Day ceremony held on May 27 in Owego, N.Y. (JoAnn R. Walter Photo)<\/p><\/div>\n
Barbara opened the ceremony, \u201cAll of us here today are continuing in the generations-old tradition of gathering to remember, and by being here today you are showing that you understand the value and meaning of today.\u201d<\/p>\n
Barbara noted that for the last 60 years, Jim Raftis, Sr., the Memorial Day Chairman and a Korean War veteran, has emceed the ceremony. <\/span>Raftis attended the ceremony, seated nearby.<\/p>\n The OA Color Guard marches during the Memorial Day parade on May 27 in Owego, N.Y., and where the group’s lead prepares to catch a rifle after tossing it midair. (JoAnn R. Walter Photo)<\/p><\/div>\n The V.F.W. Post 1371 Color Guard opened the ceremony by presenting the colors. The National Anthem was performed by the OFA Parade Band, and under the direction of Lindsey Williams.<\/p>\n Michael Donovan, Deacon at Blessed Trinity and St. Patrick\u2019s Parishes, and also the Chaplain of the V.F.W. Honor Guard, delivered the invocation.<\/p>\n Deacon Mike shared, \u201cToday we remember and honor all of those who gave their lives to the service of this country,\u201d adding, \u201cSome of us will mark the Memorial Day weekend by having barbecues, but for me it\u2019s far more than a hot dog on a grill.\u201d<\/p>\n Members of V.F.W. 1371 and auxiliary members march during the Memorial Day parade in Owego, N.Y. on May 27. (JoAnn R. Walter Photo)<\/p><\/div>\n Deacon Mike joined the U.S. Marine Corp. in 1967, and later served in the Army Reserves. In the Army, Donovan was a Drill Sergeant, and where he was part of a team who trained soldiers deployed to Desert Shield, Desert Storm, Iraq,<\/span> and Afghanistan.<\/p>\n Deacon Mike added, \u201cIn Washington, D.C. there are over 58,000 names on the Vietnam Wall, the men and women who lost their lives. I knew, trained, and lived with some of them, so Memorial Day is important to me.\u201d<\/p>\n Some 620,000 lost their lives during the Civil War, and where Memorial Day, then called Decoration Day, originated. <\/p>\n An OES student delivers a flag to a V.F.W. Post 1371 member, and to be placed in a basket in remembrance of fallen heroes. (JoAnn R. Walter Photo)<\/p><\/div>\n Barbara explained that several organizations and individuals participated in \u201cFlags In,\u201d and where flags were placed at veterans\u2019 graves throughout Tioga County. <\/p>\n DAR member Karen Messersmith shared, \u201cThe men who marched through this area during the Revolution saw that it was a beautiful and fertile valley. After the war, they returned with their families to settle here.\u201d<\/p>\n The OFA Parade Band performs a medley of military songs from all branches of the armed forces at the Memorial Day ceremony in Owego, N.Y. on May 27. (JoAnn R. Walter Photo)<\/p><\/div>\n Messersmith noted that there are upwards of 100 Revolutionary soldiers buried in Tioga County cemeteries, and commented that the grandsons of those soldiers went on to fight in the Civil War. Messersmith then placed a wreath in their honor at the Civil War monument.<\/p>\n Barbara recognized Seaman Delmar Dale Sibley, the first WWII casualty from Tioga County who was aboard the USS Arizona at Pearl Harbor. A member of the Marine Corps then cast a wreath into the Susquehanna River to honor those lost at sea, while the OFA Parade Band performed the Navy Hymn. <\/p>\n JoAnn Walter is pictured with an award she was presented during Monday\u2019s ceremony in appreciation for her participation in reading the names of Tioga County’s veterans on Memorial Day for the past several years. (Photo by Sebby S. Truesdail)<\/p><\/div>\n Owego resident and Vietnam Veteran Lew Sauerbrey recited the names of Tioga County heroes who gave their lives in service to our country, and whose names are engraved on the memorials. Students from OES delivered flags to a V.F.W. member who placed them in a remembrance basket. <\/span>Each flag represented a fallen hero.<\/p>\n Sauerbrey also read names of deceased Tioga County veterans since Veteran\u2019s Day 2023. <\/p>\n The OFA Parade Band performed a salute to America\u2019s finest, a patriotic medley of Armed Services songs. <\/p>\n Memorial Day Chairman, Jim Raftis, Sr. presented plaques to Mary Beth Jones, editor of the Tioga County Courier, and Owego Pennysaver reporter JoAnn R. Walter (pictured with Raftis), and in appreciation for their participation in reading the names of Tioga County’s veterans on Memorial Day for the past several years. Provided photo.<\/p><\/div>\n Barbara announced plaques presented by Raftis to Mary Beth Jones, from the Tioga County Courier; and JoAnn R. Walter, Owego Pennysaver reporter, for their commitment to \u201cRoll Call,\u201d which is the annual reading of the names of deceased veterans buried in Tioga County cemeteries.<\/p>\n Barbara also remembered Gordon Ichikawa, a long-time sound system professional at Tioga County ceremonies, and who recently passed away. Gordon\u2019s mother was sent to an internment camp on the west coast during WWII, and his father was a Purple Heart and Bronze Star recipient who served in Italy during the war.<\/p>\n Owego Elementary students gather on Memorial Day prior to taking part in the carrying of flags to the basket of remembrance of fallen heroes. (JoAnn R. Walter Photo)<\/p><\/div>\n At the conclusion of the ceremony, Deacon Mike offered the benediction. The V.F.W. Honor Guard rendered a rifle salute, and bugler Steve Palinosky played \u201cTaps.\u201d<\/p>\n Parade goers gather on Front Street to watch the Memorial Day parade on May 27. (JoAnn R. Walter Photo)<\/p><\/div>\n An Owego Fire Department truck participates in the Memorial Day parade on May 27. (JoAnn R. Walter Photo)<\/p><\/div>\n<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a>