SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — Unable to hold their traditional Memorial Day ceremony at Meadowland Park due to the stay-at-home orders resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, South Orange residents still found a way. A virtual ceremony was livestreamed on the village’s Facebook page, honoring military members who lost their lives.
“This is a day to pay tribute to our heroic patriots who bravely rose up and fought for something greater than themselves, selflessly laying down their lives for freedom,” Ed Matthews, who hosted the ceremony, said during the event. “As we gather and observe this Memorial Day, we carry on a tradition dating back to 1866, embracing the feeling of patriotism and pride, while honoring the best and the most noble of all of us.”
Members of Boy Scout Troop 60 read the names of all 79 South Orange residents who, as members of the military, lost their lives in combat, from World War I to the Iraq War.
“If you have known one of the fallen, you have known greatness,” Matthews said. “Those of us who have served with the fallen had the privilege of serving with heroes. Those we remember today were called upon to defend our country. They did so knowing that the path they chose may require them to lose their life and cause suffering for their loved ones. Our hearts go out to those who can never forget, the families left behind.”
All of the names were read aloud, but one in particular was honored: Peter S. Connor, a staff sergeant in the Marine Corps who died from wounds sustained in battle during the Vietnam War. Connor received the Congressional Medal of Honor, the highest honor given for heroism during combat.
“One of the important things to keep in mind with the Congressional Medal of Honor is that since it was created in 1861, there have been less than 3,100 members of the armed forces given that award,” Matthews said after South Orange Trustee Walter Clarke read Connor’s Medal of Honor citation. “It’s very special for South Orange to have a recipient among our heroes.”
Village President Sheena Collum spoke during the ceremony as well.
“This day brings home the sacrifices and the selflessness of those individuals,” she said. “I myself have a brother who is a veteran, and for my family I know how important it is on these days to reflect on what these individuals were willing to do and what they were willing to sacrifice, and how much of themselves they give up in service of others.”
Collum also acknowledged the first responders who have been fighting the coronavirus on the front lines, including the South Orange first responders who took part in the virtual ceremony.
“I would be remiss if I didn’t point out today that while we have the armed forces always dealing with foreign enemies, right now we have an enemy of epic proportion, which is a virus,” she said. “We can draw comparisons between the people who were willing to sacrifice their lives and those who today are willing to sacrifice their lives for every one of us. These are our first responders, they are our health care professionals, they are our essential workers, our essential employees. Many of us know who these folks are and, in a symbolic sense, they are our front line. They are our army right now, fighting on behalf of each and every one of us. I salute them as well.”
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