Lansdale VFW Post 32 led the annual Memorial Day parade to Memorial Park, while the North Penn Key Club held a remembrance at its memorial at Penndale Middle School on Monday.
Mother Nature cooperated Monday morning and the Lansdale Memorial Day Parade and Memorial Park Ceremony returned to downtown Lansdale Borough.
The parade kicked off at 9 a.m. Monday, followed by the memorial service at Memorial Park at 10 a.m.
The North Penn Key Club then put on a ceremony at the memorial site at Penndale Middle School.
Memorial Day commemorates the men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces who died in the military service and Lansdale’s ceremonies highlighted how the community remembers and supports the solemn day.
As Dick Shearer wrote on the Lansdale Historical Society’s Facebook page over the weekend:
“Some of those in attendance served during wartime, and show up every year to honor their comrades who didn’t come home. But with the passage of time, the numbers of those who served in Korea, Vietnam or other military actions are dwindling. Vietnam ended a half-century ago, Korea in the early 1950s.
More and more, the responsibility of honoring our fallen heroes falls to those of us who have benefited from their sacrifices. The tradition of Memorial Day must be sustained to remind us all of the high cost of war.”
Lansdale Mayor Garry Herbert, during his speech at the remembrance event Monday morning in Memorial Park, said democracy thrives not only when good citizens become involved, vigilant and dedicated, but also when we strengthen our bonds through volunteering, supporting local initiatives, and working to address needs of neighbors:
“Let us remember our actions are the truest memorial. Let us live each day with a renewed sense of purpose, dedicated to the ideals that make our nation great … In their honor, let us commit to being engaged citizens, compassionate community members, and relentless defenders of freedom and justice.”
Check out photos below of the Lansdale parade, Memorial Park ceremony and the Key Club Memorial Day event at Penndale.
North Penn Key Club Fallen Graduates Memorial Ceremony
Lansdale Memorial Day Parade
Lansdale VFW Post 32 Memorial Day Ceremony in Memorial Park