FREEHOLD – Municipal officials, residents and veterans of the armed forces will gather at Elks Point at 8:30 a.m. May 28 to honor those who died in service to the nation as Freehold Borough begins its annual commemoration of Memorial Day.
Borough Councilman George Schnurr will serve as the master of ceremonies for the Service of Reflection.
“I am deeply honored to be asked by the Marine Corps League to be the master of ceremonies for the Service of Reflection,” Schnurr said. “The traditional Elks Point Service of Reflection is held in memory of all Freehold and other American servicemen and servicewomen who lost their lives defending our nation. Each and every one of our veterans and the ones who made the ultimate sacrifice represented by the crosses at Elks Point have honored us through their brave commitment to our country.”
Following the Service of Reflection, the 144th Memorial Day parade in the borough will begin at 9:45 a.m. at Brinckerhoff Avenue and West Main Street. A casket covered by an American flag will be accompanied by active military personnel, Schnurr said.
At 10 a.m., representatives of local veterans organizations will begin their march along Main Street, followed by the rest of the parade participants.
According to Schnurr, the borough’s Memorial Day parade is the state’s longest running parade of its kind. He said it is Monmouth County’s largest such parade with an average of more than 70 units participating each year.
“The Freehold Memorial Day parade is one of the signature events of our community,” the councilman said. “When this streak of 144 parades honoring our servicemen and servicewomen started there were only 37 states in our nation.”
The lead veterans organization for this year’s parade is the Marine Corps League Cpl. Phillip A. Reynolds Detachment No. 203. This year’s theme, as decided by the Marine Corps League, is “Some Gave All.”
Schnurr said the grand marshal as selected by the Marine Corps League will be World War II veteran John Maziekien, 94, of Marlboro. Maziekien served with the 3rd Marine Division in the South Pacific at Guam and at Iwo Jima.
After the war, Maziekien joined the New Jersey State Police in 1947. He served with the state police for 30 years and retired as a lieutenant. He was the commander of the Cpl. Phillip A. Reynolds Detachment from 1990-91.
“The parade has grown exponentially in recent years under the direction of our many dedicated volunteers, most notably [Memorial Day Parade Committee] chairperson Alice McCobb, who is the glue that holds everything together,” Schnurr said. “I would like to thank her for all of her hard work, not just now, but throughout the entire year.”
Residents of all ages from all communities are invited to attend the Memorial Day parade. Free parking is available in the Market Yard parking lot off Center and Mechanic streets; in the Monmouth County Hall of Records Annex parking lot off East Main and Lafayette streets; and in an auxiliary lot on Lafayette Street behind the Hall of Records Annex parking lot.
