Memorial Day in Metuchen 2010

Be sure to turn up the sound for the slide show. It’s appropriate that this post is published on the anniversary of D-Day. Allied troops crossed the English Channel to begin an assault on Adolf Hitler and Germany’s Third Reich on June 6, 1944.

Walter Zjawin is one of the parade and ceremony organizers and does a great job every year. Thanks, Walter.

Not forgotten, not ever.

I love the white picket fence in the background. It helps drive home the message of small town America that I was trying to convey.

Representatives from, I believe, most every branch of the military were present at this year’s event.

The reviewing stand.

This year’s poster contest had many beautiful and meaningful entries. Above, one of my favorites. What a striking design!

Love the colors and highlights in this shot.

Nice job on the flags and costumes, Color Guard!

More on this year’s poster contest winner coming soon. It’s kind of a special story, so I hope I will be able to share it with you.

Above, some members of our poster contest winner’s family and some friends too.

I love all the posters displayed in the windows in downtown Metuchen. (I take the pictures through the windows, and sometimes I can’t really reach high enough to get a good shot. I do the best I can — but I love walking down to see the posters every year.)

The zelkova trees at Borough Hall are getting big!

I think this is one of the most photogenic buildings I’ve ever had the pleasure of walking by on a regular basis.

I love this picture — how she’s looking at him — it’s so sweet.

The sign outside The Raconteur bookshop conveyed my feelings about Memorial Day — happy and sad at the same time. Happy that we are free and that my family is safe; sad at the sacrifices that got us here. My wish is for a world with no war, and no need for a military at all. Not sure that’s ever going to be reality though.

Just after I took this picture, he said, “Did you get my top hat?” So I took another picture with the top hat, but I like the unposed one above better.

A few of my favorite Marines, including CW04 Nick D’Andrea, left, one of the organizers of the event.

I love the composition of this shot — how the area under the words is totally clear, as if the spirit of Memorial Day itself is occupying that space.

I love it when I see people I know, but haven’t seen in a while, in the crowd.

Bruce!

Now THAT was a lucky shot!

Lincoln High School Jr ROTC.

I understand that he’s a student in submarine school. In the background, a submarine veteran.

My favorite place to watch the parade is along Lake Ave. and High Street. Leave me a comment if you saw my little cameo in the slide show!

I love to see scouts participating in the parade. I think they’ll hear about the slide show, word will spread, and they’ll learn what Memorial Day is all about just from watching to see if their picture made the show.

I love all the little waving flags in this shot of marchers from the Second Baptist Church.

When I saw these girls reading the Memorial, I knew it would be a great shot. I love how they just happened to be standing off to one side as well, composing my shot as if I were imagining it.

I’m not sure what they’re doing, but it looks important.

Samantha Cook did a great job singing the National Anthem again this year. I love this shot of her in front of the soldiers standing at attention in the background. It was such an emotional version of the song — I guess because Sammie will be going away to college next year. Thank you, Sammie, for sharing your talent with us.

After I took this woman’s picture, she dipped her chin and said a somber, “Thank you.” Dear sweet woman, if you happen to be reading this, thank YOU! You were the closing shot in the show.

Love this shot. The shirt is so cool, and also — he’s a photographer!

My favorite thing about this shot is the composition, as if these people are connected only by the air above their heads and the reason we’ve all gathered today.

I love this shot of Msgr. Robert J. Zamorski of St. Francis Cathedral and Major Robert Purcell of the National Guard. I can’t remember, but I guess this would have been during the Anthem.

This is one of my favorite all-time shots of one of our Grand Marshals with Jan Margolis, chairperson of the Memorial Day Committee.

James will be graduating from Metuchen High School in a few weeks and will be joining the U.S. Navy. We wish you success and safety, James!

I heard that while Specialist Glen Harlow was in Afghanistan around the time of Memorial Day last year he saw last year’s slide show and was so moved by it, he wanted to do something special for the town. He presented Tom Vahalla, the mayor of Metuchen, with an American flag that had flown over Afghanistan.

He also presented a flag to Bruce Peragallo, principal of Metuchen High School…

…And one to Walter Zjawin. I love this shot — how they are looking directly into each other’s eyes — as if a secret acknowledgement of the brotherhood these guys instantly share.

Jackson Shaw, a senior at JP Stevens High School, sang God Bless America at the ceremony, and in the slide show. Great job, Jackson!

The flag-raising ceremony was more prominent this year during the event at Memorial Park because of a shorter service that left out some of the longer sections where people in the park couldn’t really see what was happening.

I love the color and light in this shot.

I waited for a very long time for a breeze to blow those flags out. My camera hand was not happy about that, but it’s a small price to pay.

Picture’s worth a thousand words.

ANOTHER nice picture of Walter! This one was during the beer ceremony. I’m not sure of this ceremony’s actual name, but I call it the “beer ceremony” because the Vietnam vets salute, and pour out their beer in sacrifice to their brothers who haven’t returned home. In the shot above, Walter was leading the ceremony with a little speech about what the beer ceremony means. Walter, as usual, you did a great job.

The beer ceremony was very well attended this year, despite the heat. I love my town!

This falling drop of birch beer resembles blood, which is kind of creepy, and also kind of surreal. I love how this shot is framed, and how the shutter stopped the droplet at just the perfect moment. At the time, however, I was a little bummed that I couldn’t get a good angle on actual BEER being poured out and by the time I did get a good angle, everyone’s beer was all poured out. Thankfully, I had snapped off this picture at the very beginning just to be safe that I’d get a shot of something being poured. I love how it turned out. I call that a happy accident.

As I was walking home, I noticed this huge stack of books in a little bookstore window, with only one book turned around, the title of which evokes a sense of the military on its own. At first, I walked right by, but then turned around and walked back to get the shot.

Our friend, Lou, is in Baghdad with the New Jersey Air National Guard’s 108th Civil Engineering Squadron. Gregory drew a shout-out to Lou’s unit for the slide show. Be safe, guys! We’re praying for you and hope to see you at next year’s Memorial Day parade.

Special thanks to my son, Brad, and my husband, Mike, for their voice talents in this year’s slide show, and to Jan Margolis and the entire parade committee for all their hard work pulling the event together. From the military protocol to all the little details of flowers, yellow ribbons and American flags all over town, it’s a year-long process. Please leave a comment thanking them for all their hard work.

Also, please take a moment to leave a comment of gratitude for the sacrifices that have been made for our freedom, to our veterans, and for the troops currently serving.

I am forever grateful for the freedom we enjoy in this country. I think we often take it for granted, and that we don’t stop to think about how truly blessed we are. People often ask me why Memorial Day means so much to me. The thing is, I’m just a grateful citizen with a bit of skill for telling stories with pictures. I feel it’s my obligation to use the talents God gave me, and the skills I’ve learned by virtue of living in a great country, to share with the world how important it is to celebrate freedom and honor the sacrifices that provide it. Memorial Day is, after all, our greatest holiday. I have deep gratitude for those who died for my freedom and am grateful for those who are currently serving in the military, especially those in harm’s way.

The image at the top of this post — “Thank you for days like this!!!” — I seriously wanted to hug the woman in that picture. She totally gets what Memorial Day is all about. I love that sign!

May God grant us peace and protect our troops,

–julie