{"id":90295,"date":"2022-06-05T07:51:25","date_gmt":"2022-06-05T11:51:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/?p=90295"},"modified":"2022-06-07T06:32:58","modified_gmt":"2022-06-07T10:32:58","slug":"memorial-day-honors-the-fallen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2022\/06\/05\/memorial-day-honors-the-fallen\/","title":{"rendered":"Memorial Day honors the fallen"},"content":{"rendered":"

Picture perfect blue skies and pleasant temperatures welcomed veterans and guests on May 30 to Owego, N.Y. for a Memorial Day parade and remembrance ceremony. The Court Street Bridge and Tioga County Veterans Memorial Park were adorned in red, white and blue flags and wreaths.<\/p>\n

Memorial Day honors and remembers service members who died while in active military service.<\/p>\n

\"Memorial

V.F.W. Post 1371 Honor Guard bugler Steve Palinosky performs “Taps” as V.F.W. Officer of the Day, Walter Beardslee salutes, and immediately following the wreath casting. (Photo by JoAnn R. Walter)<\/p><\/div>\n

The Memorial Day activities also included an annual Roll Call reading of deceased veterans buried in all Tioga County cemeteries as well as the reading of deceased veterans since Veterans Day.  <\/p>\n

\"Memorial

Parade Grand Marshal Jeff Gural, owner of Tioga Downs and CEO of American Racing and Entertainment, is driven in Justice Dave Boland\u2019s convertible Lexus. (Photo by Wendy Post)<\/p><\/div>\n

The parade kicked off at 10 a.m. and followed a route through the Village to the Memorial Park. Jeff Gural, owner of Tioga Downs and CEO of American Racing and Entertainment LLC, and an avid supporter of the County\u2019s communities and veteran causes, served as this year\u2019s Parade Grand Marshal.<\/p>\n

Prior to the ceremony, Jim Raftis, Sr., Master of Ceremonies, spoke via speakerphone with Erwin Flohr, a resident of Helmond, the Netherlands, and who has traveled to multiple American military cemeteries to honor Tioga County service members buried there.<\/p>\n

\"Memorial

Purple Heart and Valor Honor recipients, along with Gold Star family members are recognized during the 2022 Memorial Day ceremony. (Photo by JoAnn R. Walter)<\/p><\/div>\n

Raftis welcomed Gold Star family members and recipients of the Pearl Heart and Valor medals to approach the memorials. Barbara Bilbrey, mother of SPC Charles E. Bilbrey Jr., who lost his life while serving our country in Iraq, along with Ken Easton, former Owego Fire Chief and a member of the Purple Heart Riders National Association and his wife, Donna, took part. <\/p>\n

Easton, accompanied by a seeing-eye dog in training, remarked, \u201cEvery state has a Purple Heart Riders Chapter,\u201d and further explained that the organization, made up of a brotherhood of Combat Wounded Veterans, participates in parades and hosts various benefits for veterans.<\/p>\n

\"Memorial

Elementary students from OA Schools deliver flags to V.F.W. Post 1371 Officer of the Day, Walter Beardslee, and in remembrance of fallen heroes. (Photo by JoAnn R. Walter)<\/p><\/div>\n

Owego Elementary students then came forward to present flags to the V.F.W. Post 1371 Officer of the Day, Walter Beardslee. Each flag was placed in a remembrance basket and represented a fallen Tioga County hero. <\/p>\n

Raftis welcomed other speakers to the podium, including Deacon Mike Donovan of Blessed Trinity and St. Patrick\u2019s Parish, who offered a prayer.  <\/p>\n

\"Memorial

From left, Jim Raftis, Sr., Memorial Day Master of Ceremonies, welcomes Parade Marshal, Jeff Gural, owner of Tioga Downs Casino Resort. Gural is a strong civic and community supporter who has donated to several Southern Tier veteran causes. (Photo by JoAnn R. Walter)<\/p><\/div>\n

Gural approached the podium and shared, \u201cI lost two friends in Vietnam, so anything we can do to help the veterans is something I firmly believe in.\u201d <\/p>\n

Al Eaton, a Southern Tier Veterans Support Group Board member, asked the crowd gathered to give a round of applause for Jim Raftis, Sr., and in recognition of the notable work that Raftis has accomplished for veterans in the County for 50-plus years. <\/p>\n

\"MemorialRaftis recognized and remembered Chet Harding, a Vietnam veteran and Owego resident who passed away on March 20.  Harding devoted countless hours to numerous veterans\u2019 projects and events, and consistently went above and beyond in giving back. Harding was an Honor and Color Guard member, a former President of the Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 480, stood vigil at the Tioga County POW\/MIA service, and organized Project Homecoming along with a venison food program for Vietnam Veterans in the County, just to name a few. A most notable task, Harding restored 80-some Civil War graves at Evergreen Cemetery. <\/p>\n

Raftis remarked, \u201cChet did more for veterans in 40 years than any veteran I know,\u201d adding, \u201cHis honor and spirit live on.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Memorial

From left, Jim Raftis, Sr., Memorial Day Master of Ceremonies, welcomes keynote speaker and former Army Chaplain and Bronze Star recipient, Patrick Van Durmie, who served in northern Iraq. (Photo by JoAnn R. Walter)<\/p><\/div>\n

Keynote Speaker and retired U.S. Army Chaplain Captain and Bronze Star recipient Patrick Van Durmie commented, \u201cThe real heroes are the simple men and women who go and do their jobs (to defend our Country),\u201d adding, \u201cAnd we all fought for the whole flag, not just the red stripe or the blue field.\u201d<\/p>\n

Van Durmie explained that he wears a bracelet inscribed with the names of two men from his unit who passed away while in the line of duty. He said, \u201cThey both died in action, and I wear the bracelet because these two men are important to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Memorial

VFW 1371 leads the 2022 Memorial Day Parade, held May 30 in downtown Owego. (Photo by Wendy Post)<\/p><\/div>\n

Referring to a comment made by Raftis, Van Durmie encouraged the crowd gathered, and especially young people, \u201cJust go up and find a name (etched on the Memorials) and say that name out loud, take time to remember any one of the names.\u201d<\/p>\n

Van Durmie served as a Chaplain in Northern Iraq and on one occasion celebrated an Easter Vigil Mass in a 1,500-year-old monastery for some 300 troops; a monastery later destroyed by ISIS.<\/p>\n

\"Memorial

The Owego Free Academy Marching Band participates in the 2022 Memorial Day Parade, held May 30 in downtown Owego. (Photo by Wendy Post)<\/p><\/div>\n

The Owego Free Academy marching band performed the National Anthem as well as a patriotic medley of Armed Services tunes.  <\/p>\n

\"Memorial

Veterans cast a wreath into the Susquehanna River in honor and remembrance of U.S. Navy personnel who lost their lives in the line of duty. (Photo by JoAnn R. Walter)<\/p><\/div>\n

At the conclusion of the ceremony, U.S. Navy fallen heroes were honored by a wreath thrown by Navy Veteran Gail Ghinger upon the Susquehanna River and V.F.W. Post 1371 Honor Guard member, Steve Palinosky, performed \u201cTaps\u201d. A rifle salute by Honor Guard members concluded the ceremony.<\/p>\n

\"Memorial

V.F.W. Post 1371 members render a rifle salute immediately following the wreath-casting portion of the Memorial Day ceremony in Owego, N.Y. (Photo by JoAnn R. Walter)<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Memorial<\/p>\n

\"Memorial

Members of the O.F.A. Marching Band perform at the conclusion of the 2022 Memorial Day ceremony. (Photo by JoAnn R. Walter)<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Memorial

The Owego Free Academy Marching Band participates in the 2022 Memorial Day Parade, held May 30 in downtown Owego. (Photo by Wendy Post)<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Memorial

First responders were represented in the 2022 Memorial Day Parade, held May 30 in downtown Owego. (Photo by Wendy Post)<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Memorial

Former technology teacher, Donald Schultz, on the left, attends the 2022 Memorial Day Parade, held May 30 in downtown Owego. (Photo by Wendy Post)<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Memorial

Gary Mattscheck, on the left, participates in his doughboy uniform in the 2022 Memorial Day Parade, held May 30 in downtown Owego. (Photo by Wendy Post)<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Memorial

Owego Elementary Students participate in the 2022 Memorial Day Parade, held May 30 in downtown Owego. (Photo by Wendy Post)<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Memorial

Owego Elementary Students participate in the 2022 Memorial Day Parade, held May 30 in downtown Owego. (Photo by Wendy Post)<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Memorial

Stand by Me service organization participates in the 2022 Memorial Day Parade, held May 30 in downtown Owego. (Photo by Wendy Post)<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Picture perfect blue skies and pleasant temperatures welcomed veterans and guests on May 30 to Owego, N.Y. for a Memorial Day parade and remembrance ceremony. The…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":90297,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-90295","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nMemorial Day honors the fallen - Owego Pennysaver Press<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2022\/06\/05\/memorial-day-honors-the-fallen\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Memorial Day honors the fallen - Owego Pennysaver Press\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Picture perfect blue skies and pleasant temperatures welcomed veterans and guests on May 30 to Owego, N.Y. for a Memorial Day parade and remembrance ceremony. The...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2022\/06\/05\/memorial-day-honors-the-fallen\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Owego Pennysaver Press\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/The-Owego-Pennysaver-49179420591\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-06-05T11:51:25+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-06-07T10:32:58+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/owego\/files\/2022\/06\/Memorial2.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"735\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"psadvert\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"psadvert\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"10 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2022\/06\/05\/memorial-day-honors-the-fallen\/\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2022\/06\/05\/memorial-day-honors-the-fallen\/\",\"name\":\"Memorial Day honors the fallen - Owego Pennysaver Press\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2022\/06\/05\/memorial-day-honors-the-fallen\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2022\/06\/05\/memorial-day-honors-the-fallen\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"http:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/owego\/files\/2022\/06\/Memorial2.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-06-05T11:51:25+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-06-07T10:32:58+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/#\/schema\/person\/e03684194434956dfb61f5ffcbc19492\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2022\/06\/05\/memorial-day-honors-the-fallen\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2022\/06\/05\/memorial-day-honors-the-fallen\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"http:\/\/www.owegopennysaver.com\/PS\/2022\/06\/05\/memorial-day-honors-the-fallen\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/owego\/files\/2022\/06\/Memorial2.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"http:\/\/www.greenstreetdata.com\/PS\/owego\/files\/2022\/06\/Memorial2.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":735,\"caption\":\"Elementary students from OA Schools carry flags to place in a basket of remembrance at the 2022 Memorial Day ceremony in Owego, N.Y.\u00a0(Photo by JoAnn R. 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