KINGSTON – Rainy weather brought the annual Memorial Day ceremony at City Hall indoors Monday afternoon in Kingston, but the parade stepped off as planned, on Broadway.
The rain let up long enough for the parade, with Mayor Noble and family passing City Hall
The City Council chamber was filled to capacity and reverberated with the music of the Ulster County AOH Pipe & Drum Band. Mayor Steven Noble read “In Flanders Fields,” a war poem, written during the First World War by Canadian physician Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae. Noble recalled reading the piece as a student at Kingston High School.
“It had a somewhat lasting effect on me, because when I was thinking about what I wanted to say today, I remembered it,” the mayor said. “I did graduate over 10 years ago, believe it or not, although I may not look it.”
Kingston Veterans Association Chairman Bill Forte noted during his Memorial Day address that surviving veterans oftentimes feel a certain amount of guilt, “because we are here, and they are not.” He said that nevertheless, we persevere, go on in life, to honor their memory.”
As in previous years, Forte said that not every soldier favored the causes for which were fighting.
“I am sure that many of those we are here to honor, did not always agree with our laws, or with certain parts of the Constitution,” he said, alluding to the sanctuary city controversies which affected the community last winter. “Resolutions, however well-intentioned, are not always in keeping with our laws. To refuse to obey and enforce our laws, in the military, is a court martial offense, and unlike in civilian world, it is dealt with severely,” Forte noted. “Times have changed in this country, and it is necessary that we also change, to meet the new demands of society. But there is a proper way to go about it, and to do otherwise invites anarchy.”
By the time the ceremony had finished, the rainy weather outside cleared enough to allow the 21-gun salute, and bugle Taps, to take place on the lawn in front of City Hall. The Memorial Day parade then marched up Broadway, including representatives from various organizations, including fire and police departments, civic groups, and several marching bands.
