Wallkill Valley Times, Wednesday, May 29, 2019
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Montgomery honors fallen soldiers
By LAURA FITZGERALD
Vietnam War Veteran Mike Aiello,
Sr. speaks at the Montgomery
Memorial Day ceremony.
The Town of Montgomery honored its
fallen heroes on Sunday with a military
parade and ceremony.
Vietnam war veteran Mike Aiello, Sr.
spoke of the sacrifices made by American
serviceman in the Vietnam war. Aiello
served as a second lieutenant in the army
infantry.
“Combat infantry men, combat
marines, this was our war, this was my
war. We were called, we went, and in the
end, we returned innocent boys no longer;
we were damaged goods,” Aiello said.
“Many are still suffering today, scarred
both mentally and physically. It changed
all of us forever.”
Aiello honored the Vietnam war dead
by listing the names of six Valley Central
graduates who died in the conflict, as well
as other key demographic facts of war
dead.
Town Supervisor Rodney Winchell
honored fallen soldiers by listing the war
dead for each of America’s wars.
“My personal heroes are the ones
marked in white markers at the Orange
County Veterans Cemetery, Arlington
Cemetery and across many foreign lands
of the troops that never came home,”
Winchell said, concluding his speech.
Navy veteran John Olsen Jr., laid
a wreath at the Town of Montgomery
veterans’ monument. The Maybrook VFW
Post 2064 completed a 21-gun salute.
Montgomery American Legion Post 521,
Maybrook VFW Post 2064, color guard
of the Viking Battalion of Valley Central
High School Army Junior Reserve Officer
Training Corps, Boy Scout Troop 31 of
Montgomery, Auxiliary of Maybrook
VFW and Auxiliary of American Legion
marched in the military parade before the
ceremony.
Navy veteran John Olsen, Jr. lays the wreath at the Town
of Montgomery veterans’ monument.
Members of the Montgomery American Legion Post 521, Maybrook VFW Post 2064, Valley Central High School Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps, Boys Scout Troop 31 of Montgomery and
the Auxiliary of Montgomery American Legion and the Auxiliary of Maybrook VFW stand during the Montgomery Memorial Day ceremony.