Today is Memorial Day, the day of honoring the sacrifice of various veterans who have given their lives in service to their country. The federal government designates this as a federal holiday, so no school and no government work. Instead, we are to remember those who have gone before us keeping this great country safe and free. I myself had several members in the service, including my great-grandfather Robert D. Parcell who served in the engineers during WWII. So I have always taken the message of today to heart.
Today I went to Constitution Avenue to see the parade and there was a lot of floats and people marching. Of note, Gary Sinise was in a float representing the Gary Sinise Foundation. There were also a few carriages with people dressed up as former Presidents Washington and Lincoln. Also, there were also individuals carrying flags of South Korea, Taiwan, and South Vietnam which had been allies with the US in various wars and conflicts in Asia. Most importantly though, there was a float dedicated to the families who had lost loved ones in America’s various wars.
However, one thing that I saw a lot of was Marching Bands from high schools (and maybe a few colleges). It’s actually a high honor to be in this parade as there is no greater place to celebrate patriotism than in the nation’s capital, especially when honoring the country’s veterans. This brought back memories for myself though as I was in marching band in both in middle school and high school. Unsurprisingly, I marched in the Memorial Day parades for North Webster, Milford, and Syracuse. So today gave me a good time to reflect.
Right at the end of the school year, band would start practicing marching again to prepare for the parade. I don’t remember the exact songs we played, but it wasn’t that many. The parades were not very long so it didn’t take that long. After marching, we’d usually meet at the cemetery for a service dedicating the veterans who had passed on. However, I always preferred the Webster parade as then we got to eat hot dogs at the American Legion afterwards.
The honest truth though is that I was never as fond of marching in the Memorial Day parades and I don’t think other members of the band were interested either. Unless rain got it canceled, Memorial Day was always burning hot which was never pleasant. Also, despite having the day off from school, we still had to get up really early to both practice and get in formation. It didn’t help that every time the parade came around, we had not been practicing marching before it suddenly became the focus not long before the actual march. It’s not how any kid wants to spend a three-day weekend.
But looking back I’m still happy I was a part of it. I got to provide services to honor America’s heroes. I also remember when one of the band members was brought to play “Taps” at the North Webster graveyard. It was a powerful moment that stays fresh in my mind. Even when I was unhappy about the heat that day, I still knew it was a significant event that was worth participating in and I felt good about that. So I am happy to have been involved regardless.
With those memories came back all the positive memories of why I loved band. I loved spending time with my friends and getting to know more people. Several of the songs were fun to play and I was happy to learn them. Beyond that, I’ve always loved music so being able to play another instrument is nice. I can definitely say I was happy to be a member of band and am happy to know that there are others who are having similar memories.
Every federal holiday brings back memories, but there are a lot as well associated with Memorial Day. From spending time with my family to performing services to honor the troops, there is a lot in my past associated with the holiday. Today though I got to attend a parade honoring those this day is dedicated to in the nation’s capital. There are a lot of experiences in my life I have or will continue to have and eagerly await them. However, today was a good day.
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