EMPORIUM — A parade and ceremony to recognize local soldiers was held on Monday in Emporium in honor of Memorial Day.
The Cameron County Memorial Detail led the parade, which featured a number of local veterans riding a float, Cameron County Little League baseball, softball, minor league and tee ball teams, the Cameron County High School (CCHS) Marching Band and a number of other organizations and vehicles.
The parade stepped off at 10 a.m. and wound its way along Fourth Street through the center of town. Participants and spectators met at the Veterans Memorial Park on Emporium’s West End for a somber service following the parade.
This year’s speaker was U.S. Army veteran and former Pennsylvania State Police Trooper Brian Harmon, who quoted a speech given by President James Garfield in 1868 at Arlington National Cemetery: “We do not know one promise these men made, one pledge they gave, one word they spoke; but we do know they summed up and perfected, by one supreme act, the highest virtues of men and citizens. For love of country, they accepted death, and thus resolved all doubts, and made immortal their patriotism and their virtue.”
Garfield, prior to becoming president, gave the address at the first Memorial Day ceremony officially held in Arlington. The holiday was originally called Decoration Day, as it was designated for the purpose of strewing flowers or otherwise decorating the graves of fallen Civil War soldiers.
Harmon spoke about what Memorial Day is supposed to mean—a day set aside to think about the men and women who gave the ultimate sacrifice to protect Americans’ freedoms and way of life. He urged the assembled crowd of more than one hundred people to never forget the true meaning of the holiday, and to think about what that freedom means to each individual. “Freedom does not come free. Freedom comes at a heavy cost,” said Harmon.
Harmon also spoke about watching the community come together to honor Major Thomas Clark in 2011. Clark’s plane was shot down over Laos in 1969; his remains were not found until 2009.
Clark was escorted into the county by Patriot Guard Riders and police officers, including Harmon, who said that, despite rainy and cold October conditions, men, women and children stood along Route 120, watching the motorcade pass. A single elderly man stood in Truman holding a salute. Along Fourth Street in Emporium, hundreds of people packed the sidewalks, and countless more turned out for a memorial service at CCHS. Flags were hung from every post and porch railing.
The Rev. Joe Short, who provided the invocation and benediction, spoke about the population’s willingness and feeling of duty in honoring veterans. School children are brought to services and taught the meaning of honor and sacrifice.
During the ceremony, the names of all veterans who have died since last Memorial Day were read. A Sailors tribute was also performed, as was “Taps,” and a 21-gun salute was fired. The CCHS Marching Band played “The Star-Spangled Banner” and a patriotic medley.
Following the ceremony, community members and veterans were invited to a luncheon at the Cameron County Vets Club. Baseball and softball games were held throughout the day at the Cameron County Little League Complex.
