LITTLETON, N.H. (WCAX) – The annual Memorial Day parade that has marched through Littleton, New Hampshire, for four decades was canceled this year.
Veterans Memorial Bridge in Littleton honors those who have made the ultimate sacrifice. Despite the fact that a parade did not roll through the community this Memorial Day, it’s fitting that the bridge remained the center of the ceremony.
Like every year on Memorial Day, the local VFW Post in Littleton paid tribute to the fallen. The bridge is lined with names of local soldiers who never made it home.
“The men and woman that are represented on this bridge and all the cemeteries across the United States are the ones who have given us what we have today and we need to learn how to appreciate it,” said Dan Greenlaw, the co-chairman of the VFW Memorial Day.
What was not part of the ceremony Monday was the annual parade that has been taking place since the early 1980s. It was canceled for a variety of reasons, including an aging honor guard and a lack of volunteers.
“It’s really saddening and it’s disheartening,” said Dave Carbonneau of Littleton, whose uncle, Oswald Carbonneau, died in the Korean War and is memorialized on the bridge. “I hope everyone has a wonderful and safe day and remember our veterans.”
“I was hoping that they could get something together and continue the tradition,” said Debbie Meddings of Littleton, who was part of a motorcade that rolled through town Monday morning in place of the parade. “Because it is for the people who have served and who have died for our country.”
While the tribute was different this year, that sacrifice was not lost on those who attended.
“It should be a community responsibility, meaning all the organizations, the town fathers,” Greenlaw said.
VFW officials say they will be working with the town to bring the parade back to this community. However, they also say a service on the bridge will take place every year regardless of whether the parade comes back.