ST. ALBANS, Vt. (WCAX) – Hundreds of people gathered in downtown St. Albans on this Memorial Day to honor those who have served with a parade and ceremony.
Rail City resident and longtime Franklin County prosecutor Jim Hughes says he enjoys going to the annual parade and ceremony to help the younger generation learn about our nation’s history.
“It’s a good day to just think about how things were and how things are going to be if we don’t keep this alive,” Hughes said.
Staff and students of the Maple Run School District and other St. Albans community members honored and mourned deceased military personnel for Memorial Day.
“I think it’s important to remember all of our past veterans that have passed away whether in wartime or in peacetime,” said Melody Thibault, a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
Thibault led the Memorial Day ceremony Monday morning. She hopes more people can integrate honoring veterans into their everyday lives.
“To show everybody that we respect what they did, and I really wish that more people would come and take part in this because it’s such an important thing,” she said.
Kregg Kittell of St. Albans served in the Vermont National Guard for 13 years. He proudly joined the cadets marching in the parade.
“To see the look on their faces when people are walking by, you know when we’re walking by and when you see somebody come out with a camera just specifically to take a picture of them, it’s awesome to see them stand a little straighter, smile a little bit,” he said.
Kittell says the parade and ceremony are valuable learning opportunities for young people to engage with American history, more so than reading about it in a textbook in school.
“You hear a lot about the younger generation and stuff, and to see them put their minds to something and follow it to completion and get that sense of pride– that’s the stuff they remember,” he said.