Love and Memory: American Style - New Jersey, Memorial Day, 2015

My dad, Frank Lilli, at right, during World War II.
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Diane Lilli
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From Memorial Day, a History:Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in service of the United States of America. Over two dozen cities and towns claim to be the birthplace of Memorial Day. While Waterloo N.Y. was officially declared the birthplace of Memorial Day by President Lyndon Johnson in May 1966, it’s difficult to prove conclusively the origins of the day.

Regardless of the exact date or location of its origins, one thing is clear – Memorial Day was borne out of the Civil War and a desire to honor our dead. It was officially proclaimed on 5 May 1868 by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, in his General Order No. 11. “The 30th of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village and hamlet churchyard in the land,” he proclaimed. The date of Decoration Day, as he called it, was chosen because it wasn’t the anniversary of any particular battle.

New Jersey was blooming in red, white and blue yesterday, as towns hosted their local parades and Memorial Day events.
In West Essex, in the Caldwell- West Caldwell parade route that included 6 towns, some of the Scouts came in on race cars they built themselves. Nearby, the queen and king of Fairfield Recreation, Alexandra Bastante and Ryan Pierce, waved to their subjects from a snazzy convertible.
As is tradition in the Caldwells and West Essex, the Kiwanis Club hosted their own slice of Americana: an annual bike contest, where every child and bike is festooned with American flags and much more.
From West Essex to Montclair to Nutley, Memorial Day was a light hearted day tinged with bittersweet memories, of those lost in wars or other loved ones now deceased.
But in every town, from the serious salutes at the Nutley Oval to the speech of the U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh C. Johnson in Montclair, to Paramus where the small town honored those they love, this was a day for celebration, a day for honoring those who have served their country, and a time for taking a breath - a break from work - and
walking, or riding or marching for a more peaceful 2015.