Monroe salutes its veterans

‘Many were young and knew death was possible’, By Gerard Mundy Monroe — He was upset that more people did not show up for Monroe’s Memorial Day parade on Sunday. But Stephen Solcany focused less on that and more on how he wants to teach his daughter to remember America’s fallen soldiers. “More people show up for a sale at Woodbury Common,” the 37-year-old new father from Monroe said, shaking his head. His seven-month-old daughter, Sophia Rose, looked up from her carriage as mom, Jessica, rocked her back and forth. The noise from the parade startled her. Dad waved his American flag — the largest in the crowd of on-lookers who came out to show support for local veterans and to honor the service men and women who have died, either as veterans or in combat. Further down the parade route on 17M — an older gentleman, wearing a baseball cap for protection from the blazing hot sun, arose from his fold-up seat. He was frail, but he stood. He saluted each and every veteran as they marched past him. Up, down, up, down, went his right arm n he saluted. “I wanted to bring (Sophia),” Solcany said “Hopefully, when she has a family, she’ll do the same — she’ll come every year.” The parade kicked off at Smith Clove Park and headed through town. They stopped first at the Veteran’s Memorial Park on Route 17M. And the marching stopped. The cheering stopped. Traffic had already been halted. The silence was deafening. They all turned to the right, to face the monument. The rifles went off. The silence — you heard the bullet casings hit the floor. The march continued down 17M and into the Monroe Cemetery. “They died so we could continue to cherish what we love: God, country and family,” state Sen. William J. Larkin Jr., R-C-Cornwall-on-Hudson, told the crowd. Monroe Mayor John Karl explained the significance of the 13 folds of the flag: “The first fold of the flag represents life.” Then Monroe veteran — and one of the lead marchers — Lorenzo Palmer spoke. “Many were young and knew death was possible,” he said. “Some jumped on a grenade; some died of disease. They might have died a thousand different ways, but they all died for us.” He ended by saying, “God bless America.” Then, one by one, wreaths were laid at the monument for those that served this country and have passed on. One veteran knelt for a moment, after placing a wreath. He rose and saluted. Another remained for a moment, staring at the monument which lay beneath a tall American flag reaching up to the clear blue sky. It ended with a rifle salute. And then “Taps” filled the air. They saluted again n their friends, their partners, their countrymen and women. Stephen Solcany wants his daughter to be here when she’s older. To remember the men who marched and placed those wreaths today. They might be gone when she has her own family.