For veterans throughout Bellmore and Merrick, Memorial Day is an important opportunity to pay respects to their friends, colleagues and predecessors who died in service of the United States.
Bill Morris is a leading member of North Bellmore American Legion Post 1749.
“There’s a difference between Memorial Day and Veterans Day, and that’s often misunderstood,” he said. “It never hurts to say thank you to a veteran, but that’s not what Memorial Day is about; Memorial Day is recognizing those who wore their uniform and didn’t come back, who died in battle or shortly afterward, and are buried all across the world.”
Every year, organizations like the American Legion partner with local chambers of commerce, chapters of the Kiwanis Club and libraries to lead parades to honor the fallen.
The Bellmore-North Bellmore parade will begin at the North Bellmore Library parking lot on Bellmore Avenue at 10:00 am, south on Bellmore Avenue to Oak Street and continuing to Bedford Avenue. From there, they will proceed down Bedford Avenue to the Veterans Memorial on the corner of Bedford Avenue and Broadway, ending with a wreath presentation. This parade includes three bands, two fire departments.
Another parade will be held throughout the streets of Merrick, hosted annually by American Legion Post No. 1282.
Attendees can gather at Merrick Avenue and Veterans Plaza at 9:30 a.m. Organizers plan to start the ceremony at the Merrick’s Veteran Memorial Park at about 10:45 a.m., featuring members of Merrick’s schools, houses of worship, clubs, fire departments and elected officials.
Robert Dishman is the commander of Merrick American Legion Post 1282.
“The parade is a community parade; we get good support from the Chamber of Commerce and Kiwanis, and a lot of the organizations, the schools,” he said. “It’s important because we’re remembering all the people that all the people, men and women, that sacrifice time, and a lot of them, basically their lives, but so that we could have our freedoms, so that we can enjoy to live here freely and practice our religions the way we want, go to school as we want, get it as we want.”
Many of the members of the American Legion are veterans from the Korean War, the Vietnam War, Operation Desert Storm, and more.
“it’s like me on those monuments, the one where they list the names,” Dishman said. “I went to school with a lot of those guys that aren’t here anymore. They got killed on Vietnam, and that’s basically why all of us that are able to march, or even just to participate in a parade if they can’t march, do. We do it because it’s people that we serve with, we believe that they deserve this honor.”
