FREEHOLD – The 2022 Memorial Day parade in Freehold Borough will be led by a 95-year-old World War II veteran.
The borough’s 148th Memorial Day parade will be held on Memorial Day, May 30. The parade will be preceded by a Service of Reflection to be held at Elks Point at 8:30 a.m. All members of the community are invited to attend the service.
The Service of Reflection is held to honor the memory of all Freehold and other American servicemen and servicewomen who have lost their lives defending the United States.
The parade will begin at 9:45 a.m. at the corner of Brinckerhoff Avenue and West Main Street. A casket covered by an American flag will be accompanied by active military personnel.
At 10 a.m., representatives of local veterans organizations will begin their march along West Main Street, followed by the rest of the parade participants.
Residents of all communities are invited to visit Freehold Borough and to line up along West Main Street to view the parade.
The lead veterans organization for the parade is Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4374. The theme of the parade, as decided by the post, is “In Honor of Military Veterans of the United States of America.”
The grand marshal, as selected by the post, will be John Heege, 95, who served in the U.S. Navy during World War II.
According to Borough Councilman George Schnurr, Heege lived in Jamesburg and joined the Navy in 1944 at the age of 17. During his military service, he received several honors.
Heege later resided in Freehold Borough for 37 years with his family. In addition to his association with the VFW, Heege is an active member of American Legion Post 54.
“On behalf of Mayor Kevin Kane and my colleagues on the Borough Council and the Memorial Day Parade Committee, we would like to invite everyone to join us at the Service of Reflection and for the parade on Memorial Day,” Schnurr said.
