Parsippany Honors Vets in Annual Celebration

Although it was chilly, the sun popped through at certain times to warm up the crowd at Veterans Memorial Park on Monday.

Parsippany’s American Legion Posts 249 and Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 10184 hosted their annual Veterans Day Ceremony at on Monday. 

Check out the video above for a glance of the speeches and musical performances. Bob Briant, Commander of Post 249, led the ceremony.

“It’s a great turn out today. (Turnout is always good) for both Veterans Day and Memorial Day,” said Gary Erdmann, of VFW Post 10184. “Now we’re honoring all veterans, those who came back from war and those who didn’t. It used to be called Armistice day. Now it’s honoring all veterans of all wars.”

“Today’s ceremony is the greatest thing we can do for our veterans. We have a lot of veterans out there, past and present,” said Briant. “It’s a way of honoring them for what they did.”

Here’s a look at the ceremony: 

• Presentation of the Colors by American Legion and VFW—“Patriotic Festival” was performed by Brooklawn Middle School 8th Grade Band led by Joseph Stella, Band Director
• Invocation by Rabbi Shalom Lubin, Congregation Shaya Ahavat Torah was “in memory of  a proud WW2 Veteren, David A. Nagel, who bravely served  with the Army Air Force, 305th Bomb Group. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, and a Purple Heart, and was taken from us just a few months ago.”
• Michelle Musolino-Roberts sang “The Star-Spangled Banner” with the Brooklawn band and “God Bless America.”
• The Meaning of Veterans Day by Mayor Jamie Barberio and Eileen White of the Daughters of the American Revolution will explain the meaning of Veterans Day.
• 31 Words to Honor by James Allen, Chaplain of American Legion Post 249
• Parsippany Third Graders sang “America the Beautiful” led by Music Teacher James Caulfield from Northvail and Rockaway Meadow Schools and Northvail Teacher Trisha Menon.
• “Songs for Friends” was performed by the Brooklawn band
• Reverend Susan Sica, of St. Gregory's Church, gave a prayer of remembrance
• The laying of wreaths at the Veterans Monument was done by Bernard McElwee, commander of the VFW, Joe Minsavage, of the American Legion, and Gary Urdmann, of the VFW.
• Lamb’s Artillery, a Revolutionary War re-enactment group performed a cannon salute.
• Joseph Stella and Krishna Prajapati of Brooklawn Middle School played Taps.
• Third Graders of All Saints Academy sang “Proud to be an American” led by Teacher Lisa Gomez
• Rev. Monsignor Herbert K.  Tillyer, of St. Peter the Apostle Church, led the benediction
• Commander Briant concluded the ceremony
• The color guards retired the colors while the Brooklawn band performed “Alamo March"

Those who helped in making the ceremony possible:

• Michele Sylvin, Parsippany-Troy Hills Township
• Charles Jurgensen, Veteran Services CoordinatorMorris County Department of Human Services
• Parks and Forestry
• Township of Parsippany-Troy HIlls

Do you have a veteran you’d like to honor? Do so in the comments section below.