
For the first time since 2019, traditional Memorial Day events and gatherings have drawn crowds interested in celebrating with others the holiday set aside to honor Americans who died in the service of their country and those who served but who have since passed away.
The pent-up demand for group activities to pay tribute to the nation’s war dead and those who also served in the U.S. armed forces and now are remembered by their loved ones and friends drew people to patriotic assemblies May 29, as if to put an end to the pandemic of the past three years. As if to aid the attendance, the weather was near-perfect, with mild temperatures in the low 80s and an absence of stifling humidity.
Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 8093 in DeBary had a full day of ceremonies and tributes to the nation’s warriors, fallen in war or in peace, beginning with a morning program at Deltona Memorial Gardens in Orange City, and it included activities later at the post’s home.
More than 100 people show up for the Memorial Day ceremonies at Deltona Memorial Gardens, where Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 8093 of DeBary took charge of the observance. The program was replete with prayers for the safety of the nation and tributes to those killed in military service and those who served but who have died later. Many stood and watched, as there was a shortage of shade for those attending.
BEACON PHOTOS/AL EVERSON