Veterans and other residents gathered in Pearl River's Braunsdorf Park Sunday to light candles in honor of those who have fallen in service of their country Sunday.
The annual candle light vigil is one of the Memorial Day traditions in Pearl River. There is also a 24-hour vigil over the crosses in Braunsdorf Park that began Sunday and continues until noon Monday.
The John H. Secor American Legion Post 329 of Pearl River Memorial Day Parade begins at First Niagara Bank on Middletown Road at 10 a.m. and ends with a ceremony in Braunsdorf Park.
Tom Markham of VFW Post 7370 spoke to those gathered about the importance of remembering those who gave their lives in service of their country and those who are still listed as missing in action. He told the story behind "Taps," the musical piece traditionally sounded at funerals, before Evan Fleisher played it while the flag was lowered to half mast.
Each year a local scout reads the poem "In Flanders Fields," written by Canadian physician and Lt. Colonel John McCrae during World War I. Flanders Field is the American World War I cemetery in Waregem, Belgium.
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