Mayor Cory A. Booker, U.S. Representative Donald M. Payne, State Assemblywoman Cleopatra Tucker, G.I. Go Fund Executive Director Jack Fanous, other City dignitaries, and Newark veterans observed Memorial Day and honored the City’s fallen warriors in all of America’s wars with a City Hall ceremony this morning.
Memorial Day, formerly known as Decoration Day, commemorates U.S. men and woman who died while in military service and is observed on the last Monday of the month of May. It began as a holiday to honor Union soldiers of the American Civil War but after World War I, it was expanded to include American causalities of any war or military action. Newark residents have fought in all of America’s wars, from the American Revolution to the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Mayor Booker paid tribute to the four Newark residents who were killed in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. “Today we should not let this weekend pass without remembering the men and women who are working nobly in foreign lands and the sons Newark has lost: Joel Perez, Humberto Timoteo, Yoe Manuel Aneiros, and Joe Baines. We will remember them. They were not drafted. They were volunteers who gave their lives for their country,” said Mayor Booker.
Congressman Payne also recalled the historic military contributions of Newark: men like Archie Callahan, one of the first servicemen to die at Pearl Harbor, author and war correspondent Stephen Crane, and his own uncle, John Garrett, who served with the 229th Port Operations Company, one of 75 men who carried ammunition ashore to Utah Beach on D-Day, re-supplying the American invaders’ rifles and machine guns. “I grew up listening to the broadcasts of D-Day, and one of my proudest moments was inviting my Uncle John to the unveiling of the National World War II Monument in Washington, D.C. Our veterans deserve more than our respect. We must put our veterans first,” Representative Payne said, noting that Congress had just approved bills that would provide more money for veterans’ health care, the largest such increase in 12 years.
“Memorial Day is the day we honor our veterans that proudly served our country and their heroic efforts should not be in vain, that is why we honor them today,” said Assemblywoman Tucker, who is the Vice Chair of the State Assembly Veterans Affairs Committee, and has sponsored legislation to expand health care and civil service benefits to veterans.
Fire Chief Michael Lalor, an Army Vietnam veteran, remembered two childhood friends, Jimmy McDonald, and Vailsburg High School classmate Joseph Keller, who were both killed in Vietnam. “I fought side by side with some of the bravest men I will ever meet. I was very fortunate to have survived a mortar attack with some serious, but non-life threatening injuries, whereas most of my buddies next to me did not,” he said.
US Army Captain (Ret.) Andrew Berry, a disabled Iraqi War veteran, who earned a Bronze Star in combat and has 27 years combined military service, gave remarks during the ceremony. Captain Berry was stationed in Dyiala Province in Iraq when he was injured by mortar and two roadside bombs while leading an Army Transition Team unit, which trained Iraqi troops to go on operations, to fight in combat situations, and to make decisions under stress.
“Memorial Day is a day of remembrance of those who paid the ultimate sacrifice. We must remember the Gold Star Mothers and the rest of the families who have lost loved ones in their service to our nation. And being that we are presently at war, we must remember those serving overseas and the families who have loved ones still in harms way,” said Capt. Berry.
Vlasta Berry, the captain’s wife, who attended the ceremony, relied on prayer at St. Michael’s Byzantine Catholic Church in Passaic and the support of her two children to withstand the stress of her husband’s deployment. “I prayed to God everyday to put my husband in His hands,” she said.
“Memorial Day is one of the most important days on our calendar because we honor those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. This remembrance should extend for longer than one day. We can honor the fallen everyday by caring for their comrades who have returned and for their families who will forever mourn,” said G.I. Go Fund Executive Director Fanous.
The City of Newark and The G.I. Go Fund opened the Veterans Transition Center of Newark in November 2008. This partnership connects Newark veterans of all generations to health care, job training, career development, and benefits programs.
The emotional highlight of the ceremony was the raising of the Stars and Stripes to half-staff, to the sound of a bugler playing “Taps.” The flag will remain at half-staff until Tuesday.
U.S. Army Sgt. SFC James Collura, a two-tour Vietnam War Veteran who also served one tour both in Iraq and Afghanistan, served as Master of Ceremonies and closed the observance by saying, “May we ever remember we shall acquit ourselves with honor, and remember all that made the ultimate sacrifice.”
Over the next two weeks, 3,000 veterans will be returning home to New Jersey from Iraq and Afghanistan, including 136 men and women from Newark as part of a New Jersey National Guard brigade that is completing the largest deployment into combat since World War II. On June 12 there will be a statewide “Welcome Home” parade and ceremony in Trenton to pay tribute to the New Jersey service members returning home from Iraq.
“We will welcome our brothers and sisters home with more than hugs and pats on the back. We will welcome them home with actions and deeds,” Mayor Booker said. “The men and women from Newark who have worn our country’s uniform and sacrificed their lives paid the highest price for the freedoms and liberties we enjoy. We must remember their sacrifice and the values they manifested in their lives - courage, honor, and commitment to country,”
