Memorial Day

Ceremonies and parades will be held in many towns next weekend and Monday to observe Memorial Day, which honors dead servicemen of all wars. In Collingswood, the weekend will also mark the end of that town's month-long Centennial Celebration. Here is a roundup of what is happening locally: In Barrington, the Ladies Auxiliary to VFW Post 7247 will sponsor a silent march on Monday, Memorial Day, which will proceed from the VFW hall on Shreve Avenue, along Clements Bridge Road to Third Avenue, then along Haines Avenue and into the parking lot behind the municipal building.

The name Gen. John Alexander Logan doesn't exactly leap out when the subject turns to great Civil War figures. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant? Yeah. Gen. Robert E. Lee? Sure. Gen. George B. McClellan? Sounds familiar. Gen. John Alexander Logan? Hunhh? Logan left his mark in 1868, three years after the war's end, when the former Illinois congressman, Republican vice presidential candidate and Vicksburg campaign veteran inaugurated the observance of Memorial Day. Originally called Decoration Day in remembrance of all those who died in the nation's service, the simple ceremony of placing flowers on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers has since evolved into a national holiday to honor all of America's fallen servicemen.

Delaware County residents will observe Memorial Day with parades and ceremonies. In Aldan, members of the American Legion Post 1000 will begin the day at 8:30 a.m. by putting wreaths on the graves of former post members at Holy Cross Cemetery in Yeadon, Fernwood Cemetery in Fernwood and Arlington Cemetery in Drexel Hill. At 11 a.m., post members will hold ceremonies at the borough's monument at Woodland Avenue and Providence Road. In Clifton Heights, American Legion members will begin parading at 9:30 a.m. from Baltimore Pike and Oak Avenue to the borough's World War II memorial, at Baltimore Pike and Diamond Street.

This is the weekend for remembering. Memorializing. Some columnists, editorialists and commentators have remarked that much of what's remembered in 1988 reminds them of 1968. As one of them put it: "This is the 20th anniversary of everything. " They refer to the worldwide unrest of 20 years ago - the assassination of heroes, the terrorism, the political riots, the political conventions that turned into riots and the war that kept widening in Vietnam. A 1968 radio commentary of mine mentioned these events and included caustic references to the mockery implicit in memorializing the lives lost in wars past when - that very week - more than 400 Americans had been killed in Vietnam; more than 1,500 died in the month of May alone.

Parades and services will be held in a number of area towns Monday to mark the Memorial Day holiday and honor those who served and died in the country's armed forces. In Audubon Park there will be flag-raising ceremonies in front of the fire hall and the borough hall, beginning at 10 a.m. The observance in Bellmawr will begin at 9 a.m., with a Mass at St. Mary's Cemetery on Browning Road, followed by the laying of wreaths at the municipal building on Browning Road. A small parade will be held in Brooklawn beginning at 9 a.m. at the American Legion Post and proceeding to the memorial park, both on Railroad Avenue.

Wreath-layings at memorials and parades with veterans, fire trucks, bands and more will be held in many area towns next weekend and Monday to observe Memorial Day, which honors dead servicemen of all wars. Here is a roundup of what is happening locally: A parade will be held in Beverly and Edgewater Park beginning at 1 p.m. Monday, Memorial Day. The parade will start from the west side of Franklin Avenue in Edgewater Park at 1 p.m., then proceed onto Cooper Street into Beverly and to the Delaware River bank.

It's going to be another busy Memorial Day weekend on the nation's highways. From Thursday through Monday, 31.2 million Americans will drive 50 miles or more to a beach, campground, or other getaway, according to the car lobbying group AAA. That's a small increase from last year but still well short of the record 37.3 million who drove during the holiday in 2005. Gas will cost slightly more this year. The national average price for a gallon of gasoline has risen seven cents in the last week to $3.66 and could increase over the weekend.

After 105 years, it can be tough to pick out a birthday present. But officials at the New Jersey Veterans Memorial Home in Vineland knew exactly what to get Frank Cuccia on Saturday. "The reason he says he's gotten to be 105 is because every day he would always eat a McDonald's hamburger," said Derick Glenn, special events coordinator at the home. So a Happy Meal it was. While the gift may have been small, there was still a big celebration for the World War II veteran, as the nursing home and local VFWs honored residents there for their service as part of National Nursing Home Week.

JERUSALEM - Israel dedicated its annual memorial day for the six million Jews killed in the Holocaust to mark 70 years since the Warsaw ghetto uprising, a symbol of Jewish resistance against the Nazis in World War II that resonates deeply in Israel to this day. At the opening ceremony at nightfall, President Shimon Peres and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu both linked the desperate Jewish revolt of 1943 to the warrior mentality that enabled the...

SEASIDE HEIGHTS, N.J. - The remains of a roller coaster that was knocked off an amusement pier during Hurricane Sandy and partially submerged in the Atlantic Ocean might be left there as a tourist attraction. Seaside Heights Mayor Bill Akers told WNBC-TV in New York officials had not decided whether to tear down the ride. But he said he was working with the U.S. Coast Guard to see whether the roller coaster was stable enough to leave alone, because he believes it would make "a great tourist attraction.

Chester man charged in Memorial Day slaying A 22-year-old Chester man who police said was identified by video images was charged with first-degree murder after he surrendered Monday in a Memorial Day shooting in Chester's north end. In response to a warrant, Tahmir Craig, 22, escorted by his attorney, turned himself in to city and Delaware County detectives, police said. Authorities allege he shot and killed Devon Williams, 27, of Chester, in the 2100 block of Edgmont Avenue shortly after 1 p.m. May 28. Williams was pronounced dead at the scene.

IN ANOTHER example of the new era at Penn State, the school posted a video message from new coach Bill O'Brien on Facebook on Memorial Day. O'Brien announced that Penn State's home game against Navy on Sept. 15 will be Military Appreciation Day. "We think it's a great time to come out with your family and friends to honor our military, and especially the Naval Academy, and see some great football at Beaver Stadium," O'Brien said in the message. n

JULY CAME EARLY THIS YEAR with hot and muggy weather on Memorial Day, and the weather is expected to remain that way until Tuesday night, when showers or a thunderstorm are forecast to hit the area. The National Weather Service issued an excessive heat warning for Memorial Day and Tuesday, prompting the city to activate its summer heat programs that zero in on seniors and the homeless. Temperatures hit a high of 91 at 3:59 p.m. (the low of 68 degrees clocked in at 5:31 a.m.)

U.S. financial markets were closed on Monday for the Memorial Day holiday. There is no Business section today.

SAVANNAH, Ga. - Joyce Connolly and her daughters left their home in Hurricane, W.Va., to head south for a Memorial Day beach vacation - and ended up in the center of Tropical Storm Beryl. While it left little damage after sweeping ashore with 70 m.p.h. winds late Sunday at Jacksonville, Fla., the storm still wrecked much of Connolly's trip. She skipped a graduation ceremony because powerful winds kept her and her daughters from venturing past the beach boardwalk when the storm approached Sunday.

For the typical American, the annual Memorial Day parade serves as a stirring display of pomp and patriotism, a diverting prelude to the shopping or barbecues to follow. But for many veterans, the uniforms, flapping flags, and ceremonial rifle shots can be triggers summoning harsh memories of battle and loss. In smart formation, marching down Main Street alongside the drum majors and old soldiers, are ghost battalions of warriors who never came home, visible only to veterans who cannot forget.