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Gerry Holds Annual Memorial Day Festivities Sunday

The town of Gerry held its annual Memorial Day observance Sunday, with a parade along Route 60 and a memorial service at Gerry Village Cemetery. P-J photos by Gavin Paterniti

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IMG_5642GERRY — In defiance of a forecast calling for overcast skies and eventual rain, the weather in the town of Gerry on Sunday allowed for an enjoyable afternoon of remembrance and gratitude for those who have served and sacrificed in the name of God and country.

Beginning at 2 p.m., the town held its annual Memorial Day parade and cemetery ceremony a day in advance of the Memorial Day holiday itself, bringing hundreds of residents out to line the streets and gather in the Gerry Village Cemetery for the duration of the afternoon’s hourlong event.

The parade embarked from the town’s four corners, traveling northbound along Route 60 before reaching its destination at the cemetery, where a brief ceremony was presented. Beginning with an invocation, the ceremony went on to include: readings by Melanie Russo, Brooke Weinman and Mariana White, who read “Logan’s Orders,” “The Gettysburg Address” and “In Flanders Fields,” respectively; a thanks to attending dignitaries and elected officials; a roll call of wars by Evelyn Crick, president of the Henry Mosher Post 638 American Legion in Falconer; and a benediction.

This year’s wreath placement was performed by O. Dennis Bartholomew, a U.S. Navy veteran who served at the end of, and following, the Vietnam War. Bartholomew served as an Interior Communications Electrician Second Class aboard the USS Mississinewa, with deployment in the Mediterranean Sea and Guantanamo, Cuba. He served on the Mississinewa through the Panama Canal before its decommissioning. He served his last year in New London, Conn., aboard the USS Fulton, a sub tender. Bartholomew ended his military service 10 years ago with the Jamestown Reserve Center.

The guest speaker was Major Gregory Carlson, retired U.S. Air Force, who currently serves as director of the Veterans Service Agency for Chautauqua County. A Chautauqua County native and graduate of Southwestern Central School, Carlson enlisted in the Air Force following his graduation and retired last year after 20 years of active duty service.

Carlson held numerous positions in his career as both an enlisted man and officer, with deployments to Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, South America, Iraq and Afghanistan. He lives with his wife, Heather, and their twin, six-year-old children, John and Leala, in Lakewood.

In his address, Carlson said it is incumbent on American citizens to honor the sacrifices of those who gave of themselves, many through mortal means, for the enduring freedom of their compatriots.

“The precious gift of freedom and our American way of life was paid in full by our fallen soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines. Their love of country and love of family, and the obligation they carried out to preserve our way of life, must be remembered; not just by this generation, but by every generation after,” Carlson said. “If we fail to understand the price of freedom, we may never appreciate the value of freedom.”

The grand marshall of this year’s ceremonies was Warren Reed, a lifelong resident of Gerry who served June 1977 through June 1980 in the U.S. Army, Second Armor Division, First Battalion, 41st Infantry, MOS Truck-Track Mechanic. He was stationed stateside in Texas and Kentucky, as well as in Germany. He recently retired from the Chautauqua County Highway Department in March.

Music was provided by: the 96th Highlanders pipe band, which performed a rendition of “Amazing Grace”; Heather Holley and Paul Holley, who performed “Taps”; and the Cassadaga Valley Central School band, which performed “The Star-Spangled Banner” and “America, The Beautiful.”

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