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Memories abound at 111th annual Boardman Community Memorial Day
By Sean Barron
BOARDMAN
If anyone ever questioned the level of Betty Harris’ patriotism, all they had to do was look at her gardens.
“My flower beds were all red, white and blue,” the Poland woman and 26-month Navy veteran recalled.
Her deep patriotic fervor, however, certainly wasn’t confined to the beauty of the gardens she used to plant. It also was abundantly evident during Monday’s 111th annual Boardman Community Memorial Day parade and program at Boardman Park’s Maag Outdoor Arts Theatre.
The Boardman Kiwanis Club hosted the one-hour gathering, which was to remember and honor current military personnel as well as those who made the ultimate sacrifice serving their country. Before the ceremony, a colorful parade began at Boardman Center Middle School on Market Street.
“When I hear those songs, I want to cry,” Harris said, referring to music played during Monday’s event. “I’m so patriotic and so grateful to be from this country.”
During World War II, Harris served in the Women’s Auxiliary Volunteer Emergency Services unit, which was established to allow women to take part in voluntary duties so as to free men for fighting, noted Jennifer L. Baun, president of the Youngstown-based Northeast Ohio Women Veterans unit.
WAVES ceased after WWII, at which time many women were free to join the Navy, Baun explained.
While in the Navy, Harris was in the accounting and payroll department, she said.
The parade’s grand marshal and program’s keynote speaker was Paul Rossi, a 1943 Girard High School graduate and 32-year music educator in Canfield schools.
“I graduated from Girard High School in June of 1943, and I joined the Army in July,” said Rossi. He also spent 60 years conducting the Youngstown Community Band.
Rossi recalled having been sent to England for additional training, which consisted of weekly 25-mile hikes. Afterward, he landed on the beach at Normandy, France, where he saw a dead American soldier, Rossi continued.
“I said to myself, ‘What am I getting myself into?’” he added.
Rossi also was to have been sent to Japan, but the war ended the year after he had arrived in Normandy, the Army veteran said, adding that he also lost many friends.
Rossi praised American soldiers for having saved lives in England, France and elsewhere in Europe, saying their sacrifices should always be remembered and honored.
“The U.S. had the best soldiers in the world,” he said to applause.
The ceremony also included an armed forces salute in which nearly 50 Army, Marines, Navy and Air Force veterans were honored when they lined up next to a memorial as their service songs were played.
Among them was Nick Newland, an eight-month officer with the Boardman Police Department.
“I’m grateful to live in a country where people gave up their lives so we could have parades and be here,” said Newland, who served five years in the Marines, including eight months in Afghanistan.
Memorial Day is a good time to fire up the barbecue grills and get together with family and friends, but the holiday’s true meaning of honoring those who fought and continue to fight to secure the nation’s freedoms also should be remembered, said Newland, who came with his 1-year-old son, Logan.
Making additional remarks was Mark Luke of the Boardman Kiwanis Club, who gave a brief history of Memorial Day.
Retired Air Force Lt. Col. Bill Moss placed a wreath next to the memorial to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice. David Suarez, president of Boardman High School’s National Honor Society, added a wreath to honor current military personnel.
Performing the musical selections was Boardman High’s Wind Ensemble.