Local 23 remembers the fallen
Every year for half a century, members of New Brunswick Local
23 spend the Friday before Memorial Day honoring fellow officers
who have since passed away.
Beginning at Saint Peter’s Cemetery in New Brunswick, a dozen
active and retired officers walk from gravestone to gravestone
placing American flags and flowers at each, before traveling to three
other cemeteries in North Brunswick and Hillside. In an eight-hour
span, the group visits more than 100 gravestones.
“It’s nice to have somebody remember,” said New Brunswick
Captain Jim Marco (ret). “Their families are gone and they don’t have
anyone to take care of (their graves), so we take care of them for
everyone.”
Captain Marco joined the memorial detail in 1966 after his first
year on the job, and continues to fly back to New Jersey from his
home in Florida every year since his retirement in 1990. Next year
marks his 50th year on the Memorial Day flower detail.
“Captain Marco said it goes all the way back to the veterans who
fought in World War II and the Korean War,” explained Sergeant
Mike Yurkovic. “They were all very patriotic and felt they should
honor the people they worked with after they were gone.”
Like Captain Marco, other retired Local 23 members come back
to New Brunswick for this event in particular.
“Our department holds several events throughout the year to
bring all of our officers together and the guys really become part of
your extended family,” noted Yurkovic. “That's why we go out year
after year and put down flowers and flags on their graves. We want
to keep the tradition going and to honor and remember officers that
are no longer with us.”
Sergeant Yurkovic’s father, Gary, a retired New Brunswick captain
and former Local 23 president, has been coming out for the last 39
years.
“To see my father still coming out year after year and being able
to do this with him is amazing,” emphasized Yurkovic. “I think it
shows just how great of a tradition this is and how much the officers
in our department both past as present respect and care about one
another. I feel very fortunate to be part of it.” d
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JUNE 2015
61