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Community Corner

Memorial Day Parade Pays Tribute to Fallen Heroes

Seven soliders from Sayville honored at Sparrow Park ceremony.

In between the raindrops and the cloudy sky, the streets of Sayville were lined with proud marchers for the annual Memorial Day Parade through town.

Though the crowds were a bit lighter than usual thanks to the weather, those who were in attendance were definitely high in spirits. But Monday’s parade was about more than just a march downtown – it was about honoring seven fallen soldiers whose names have been added to the memorial at Sparrow Park. Hundreds gathered at the memorial service following the parade.

Suffolk County Legislator Bill Lindsay, Town of Islip Supervisor Phil Nolan, Islip Town Councilman Gene Parrington and former Islip Town councilman Chris Bodkin, who spearheaded the memorial, were among the recognizable faces marching down Main Street. Daisy Troop 1106 from Cherry Avenue was there, along with Junior Girl Scout Troop 559 and 347. Sayville's Boy Scout Troop 184 and cub cscout troop 212 were marching along with many teams from Sayville Little League and Sayville Softball League. The Wets Pants Sailing Association proudly carried their banner through town, as did members of the Community Ambulance Company. Members of the Sayville Village Improvements Society were on hand, as were the Sayville Historical Society, whose members are planning a 250 year celebration of Sayville.

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The fire departments were next down the street, starting with Sayville (and some 60 year members of the department), Holbrook, Bayport, Blue Point and ending with West Sayville Fire Department.

Starting at St. Lawrence Church on Main Street, the parade route concluded at Sparrow Park, where a memorial service was held to honor seven fallen war heroes. Members of the American Legion post in Sayville and the local post of the Veterans of Foreign Wars honored the following by adding their names to the Sparrow Park Memorial: Sergeant Robert Ritter (Army); Constructionman James McGrath (Navy); First Lieutenant Lewis Gaiser (Army); Airman Daniel Miller (Navy); Warrant Officer Spencer Lund (Army); Captain John Gibbons (Army); and Captain Merill Masin (Air Force).

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has been paying tribute to Sayville’s war heroes for almost a century. Until now, the park only honored those who died in World War I and II. With the addition of seven names, it now includes those fallen heroes from Korea and Vietnam.  Friends, family members and the community all gathered to remember the seven soldiers. A memorial booklet was also distributed to parade-goers in the hopes they would learn a little more about the honorees. Bodkin spent countless hours interviewing family and friends of the men whose stories are told in the booklet.

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