Memorial Day in Metuchen, 2007

Looking for the 2009 Metuchen Memorial Day slide show?
Turn up the sound and
click here.

Looking for the 2008 Metuchen Memorial Day slide show?
Turn up the sound and
click here.

Below, pictures from the 2007 event…

Memorial Day is dedicated to the
honor and support of United States service personnel,
past and present,
especially those in harm’s way.



I don’t usually use black and white images when I shoot events, but I felt so moved by the emotions of the day that I thought I’d give it a try.


He’s upset because his cousins had just left to go back home. I thought the image was touching because of the real emotion he’s feeling. His dad’s shirt hammers in the message.



I have always been anti-gun and anti-gun toys for my children. But with a house full of boys, it’s practically impossible. (Readers with baby boys: hear this — they will make guns out of anything. Pencils. Fingers. Tiny twigs and blades of grass.) I thought this image of the boy atop the cannon looking pensive gave meaning to my frustration over toy guns.



I didn’t shoot the whole day in black and white. I love this shot from the other side of Tommy’s Pond, also known as the seating area for geese only. (This will be clearer to you if you’ve already watched the slide show.) By the way, just after the baby geese picture, the momma goose honked at me to leave. Story of my life.


Blog fans may recognize Major General (Select) John F. Kelly, the reviewing officer for the parade. He was the featured speaker at the John Basilone Parade, which I shot last September. It was nice to see him again, and to hear him speak. General: I wish you well on your new command in California.



You may also recognize some of the young Marines shown. The man on the left was the cover of last year’s Memorial Day book. (The men are trying really hard not to smile at me. They did a good job!)



SPC Robert Murafsky of the U.S. Army was a Grand Marshal of the parade. He recently returned home to Metuchen after having been shot in Iraq, then spending several months at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, where he met his fiance (left). His mom, Penny Murafsky, right, is a long-time member of the Memorial Day parade committee.



One of the things I love about shooting the Memorial Day parade is that so many people in Metuchen know me. Kids will smile, shout my name and wave. It’s great! Not sure what Liam was thinking when he said, “Mrs. Shaver, take a picture of this!” And he held up a dollar. In editing the slide show, I didn’t have the heart to edit George Washington. (Thanks, Liam!)



This is another face from the past: Basilone fans, think adorable baby in tuxedo. He’s grown a lot since September! I got some really nice pictures of him this time. (Mom and dad, if you’re reading, send me an email and I’d be happy to mail you some prints!)

This one was edited from the show because I thought little children would think he’d been run over. Nah, he was just resting in the shade. Here’s the shot of him earlier when he was watching the police unit march by…





In a traditional post-parade ceremony, Vietnam veterans salute their fallen comrades by pouring out their beer on the memorial at Legion Hall, followed by the playing of Taps.



This is my favorite shot from this year’s parade. Jan Margolis is the parade committee chairperson, planning the parade and memorial service for each of the last three years. While I have no direct experience serving on a parade committee, I can surely tell you that the planning is immensely complicated. From the military protocol to when the casson arrives to paying for everything and assuring that yellow ribbons and flags are all over town, it’s a year-long process that requires strength in leadership. As Rear Admiral Timothy Beard III put it when he saw this picture, “You can sure tell who’s in charge here.” (I took the photo as Jan listened to a speech about prisoners of war.)

If you haven’t already, be sure to watch the slide show, then come back here and leave a comment for the parade committee. They did a fantastic job because without them, Memorial Day in Metuchen would be nothing but a day off work.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 30th, 2007 at 4:47 pm and is filed under event, memorial day, metuchen and tagged with memorial day, metuchen, tommy's pond. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

16 Responses to “Memorial Day in Metuchen, 2007”

1. Elise Gyle Birdsall says:

   June 11, 2009 at 8:35 pm

   Watching this from Florida warms my heart and reminds me of the great parades I watched growing up in Metuchen in the 60’s and 70’s. I lived two houses away from the park and the kids on our block eagerly awaited Memorial Day, because we knew how much fun there would be on that day. Thank you for the wonderful memories.

   Reply