By NANCY HILER
Before the parade, local veterans assembled in the morning to host a memorial ceremony at the Veterans Monument at Newbridge Road Elementary School, including parade grand marshals Lance Corporals David Grace and Frank Cinturati Jr., U.S. Marines from Bellmore who recently returned from Iraq.
Local veterans and community groups presented wreaths honoring those who served. A highlight of the ceremony, North Bellmore American Legion member and Nassau County Veterans Service Program Coordinator Patrick Yngstrom read the moving poem, "The Final Inspection." The W.C. Mepham High School band played taps as well as the Star Spangled Banner.
"Freedom is not free," said North Bellmore Post Commander Frank Colon Jr., expressing appreciation for those who gave their lives in service to the nation. "Thank you also to the men and women serving today," he added, "to preserve the freedom of this great country."
Following the ceremony, veterans from the North Bellmore and the Bellmore American Legion veteran, the Vietnam War Veterans, and the Veterans of Foreign Wars marched with members of dozens of community groups as well as school bands. These included the Chamber of Commerce of the Bellmores, both Bellmore and North Bellmore fire departments, the Ford Model A and Bellmore Corvette clubs, and several Boy Scout and Girl Scout troops. The Mepham High School band marched, as did three blended bands made up of students from the six North Bellmore elementary schools. A second memorial ceremony was held at parade's end at the Veterans Monument on Pettit Avenue.
Comments about this story? Nhiler@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 234.
