Lawrence Township Remembers America's Heroes

Veterans and supporters of all ages filled Veteran’s Park on Saturday (May 28) for Lawrence Township’s Memorial Day weekend services.

One of the youngest attendees at the township’s annual parade and celebration shared wisdom beyond his years. Sixth-grader Jackson Perkins read his prize-winning essay on what Memorial Day means to him.

“The soldiers who died to protect America and its freedom should be honored,” Jackson said. “Instead, people think of this as the first day of summer.”

He asked those gathered to take a moment during their weekend to remember those who have sacrificed their lives for their country.

“We should honor all the valiant soldiers who paid the ultimate price,” Jackson said. “I will try not to be one of the people who forget this and just go on vacation.”

Even an experienced commander, Lt. Col. Robert K. Bryan of the 112th Field Artillery of the New Jersey Army National Guard, took Jackson’s message to heart. “Memorial Day is really special and, man, I couldn’t have said it any better than this young man said it during his essay.”

“As you go about your weekend,” Bryan added, “I’d ask that you just take a pause, take a pause and remember what this day really means.”

In speaking about what Memorial Day means to him, Bryan spoke of Ryan Doltz

“2003 to 2005 were challenging years in Iraq,” Bryan said.

During that time, he said, Doltz went on a combat security mission during which he and three other soldiers were killed by an improvised explosive device (IED). “Others from the unit came home with scars,” Bryan said, “some visible, others not so much, but they’re there.”

Four years later, while driving along the very same road where Doltz and the others had died, Bryan said he saw an amazing transformation – what had once been a treacherous patch was now a calm street.

Jim Hewitt, a retired Lawrence Township police officer and a World War II veteran who survived the attack on Pearl Harbor, also shared his story.

Hewitt displayed an American flag that he’d rescued on that fateful day in 1941 after it was blown off the mast of a ship during the Japanese attack. He recalled his personal journey back to Hawaii in 1991 for the 50th anniversary.

“I knelt before the marble wall and said a prayer and I walked to the railing and threw a rose in the water,” he said.

“What people don’t know,” he continued, “is before the attack the [USS Arizona] was full of fuel and every 20 seconds a drop of oil appears on the water. The Navy calls them the black tears. The USS Battleship Arizona is crying.”

Hewitt received a standing ovation from those in attendance after telling his story. A flag detail, benediction, patriotic music and the laying of a wreath at the memorial in Veteran’s Park followed the talks given by Hewitt and other speakers. A rendition of taps rang eerily through the park, with trumpet players spaced far apart to make the solemn song sound like it was echoing from a distance while emergency sirens blared in the distance.

But not all was solemn at the event. Preceding the services was a parade that snaked around Veteran’s Park, starting at Lawrence High School and ending right in front of the park. The parade included the usual trail of fire engines and marching veterans, as well as an exact replica of the Liberty Bell that was cast from the same mold as the famous bell.

Bill Agress and his son Andrew, dressed as and his assistant, accompanied the bell along the parade route and later rang it as the names of deceased veterans were read in the park.

“I’ve been marching in the parade for many, many years,” Agress said. He said he is inspired to dress as Hand for the parade because of the colonel’s role in delaying the British as they tried to march through Lawrence to reach Trenton during the Revolutionary War.

Other parade participants had simpler motives. Isabelle Flemm marched because her teacher at Ben Franklin Elementary School has a husband in the Navy.

“[Isabelle] wanted to march with the rest of her class [and] support the soldiers and sailors,” her father, Keith Flemm, said.

Her little brother Robert also participated, though when asked what his favorite part of the parade was, the boy pointed to a boat in a neighbor’s driveway and said, “There’s a boat right there.”

For Jared Silver, there was no confusion about the best part of the day. “The cannon,” he said immediately. He quickly added, “I liked the drums the best.”

His mother, Brenda Silver, said she and her son came to the parade to see relatives from Lawrence who would be marching. The Silvers hail from Trenton.

“We really like it,” she said. “Everyone’s having a great time.”