War veterans and New Yorkers remembered Armed Forces services who gave their lives in defense of the country during a solemn ceremony on Memorial Day Monday morning at the Intrepid Museum on the Upper West Side.
Thousands participated in the wreath-laying on the deck of the decommissioned aircraft carrier on the Hudson River, paying tribute to generations of Americans who fought and died to defend our way of life at home and abroad.
Veterans, in particular, fought back tears as they told war stories and the sacrifices made by members of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard.
“This week is how I remember my platoon that was lost during my time there,” said Vietnam War veteran George Clifton. “We are here for the camaraderie.”
U.S. Navy Admiral Daryl Caulde said that the nation needs its best men and women to step up now and defend the Constitution and American freedom, noting that “the world remains a volatile and dangerous place,” especially in Europe and the ongoing Russia-Ukraine War, which is now more than three years old.
“In every patriot’s grave, from Lexington and Concord to Afghanistan, rests a hero who made and kept that pledge today,” Caudle said. “We need such great guardians alert and ready on freedom’s front. In fact, as we speak, hundreds of thousands of troops are deployed around the world, safeguarding our future, alert and ready to do what must be done.”
Bruce Mosler, co-chairman of the Intrepid Museum, reminded that Memorial Day serves not just as the unofficial start of summer but as a moment to “remember that freedom is never fo free.”
“We honor all those who made the supreme sacrifice,” Mosler said, quoting from President Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address that the country must always remember those who “gave their last full measure of devotion that this nation might live.”
Monday’s ceremony included an unfurling of a large American flag on the deck of the Intrepid, held together by Armed Forces members. Mayor Eric Adams also joined in helping to toss memorial wreaths into the Hudson River to honor those who died in battle.
“We need to continue to let people know that this is the greatest city in the world with the greatest defensive Armed Forces in the world,” Mayor Adams said. “There is no one that does it any better than us. We need future generations to understand that.”
