T IMES
WALLKILL VALLEY
Vol. 35, No 22 3 WEDNESDAY, MAY 31, 2017
Page 29
www .W allkill V alley T imes . net
Town of Montgomery says ‘thank you’ to those who served
Memorial Day is more than just a
day off from work. It is more than just
a holiday. It is a brief pause in the
fast-paced year to stop and realize that
everything we take for granted every day
is only possible because over a million
American soldiers have laid down their
lives for our freedom.
“They pick up the check so the rest
of us can enjoy [this],” said Commander
John Luffman, of Maybrook VFW Post
2064.
Luffman, a veteran and recipient
of the Purple Heart, spoke on Sunday
during a Memorial Day service at the
town of Montgomery government center.
He urged everyone to pause and reflect
on the fact that Memorial Day is a time
to honor the soldiers who defended the
nation, its values and its freedoms—and
to always keep in their thoughts and
prayers the American soldiers in the field
today, that they come home safe and enjoy
the freedoms they fought to protect.
ONE DOLLAR
Meet Valley
Central’s
top students
‘Honor the fallen, support our troops’
By RACHEL COLEMAN
3
Orange County Legislator Mike
Anagnostakis pointed out that this
Memorial Day marks the 150th
anniversary of the annual recognition
that began with Decoration Day in 1868,
where the graves of fallen soldiers were
decorated with flowers.
Tim Dempsey, former commander
of the Osborne-Fitzsimmons American
Legion Post 521 and director of the
ceremony on Sunday, also coordinated
Continued on page 2
D ecoration D ay
Volunteers, including many Boy and Girl Scouts, braved the rain last Thursday to distribute flags to the graves of former members of the
military. They are shown at St. Mary’s Cemetery in Montgomery.
Hero’s
welcome
Veteran of the ‘forgotten
war’ is honored
By RACHEL COLEMAN
“I’ve never seen such big crowds
cheering,” said Edward Melville of
Walden.
The fact that the response was for him
and his fellow veterans only made the
experience more overwhelming for the
unassuming war hero.
Even the ride to the Stewart
International
Airport surprised
him, as an army
of
motorcycles
(he
estimated
there were 2,000)
formed a rumbling,
impressive escort
and
firefighters
stationed at each
intersection along
the way saluted
Edward Melville
their journey. At
the
airport,
an
even larger crowd was waiting to send
them off, including a state senator and
congressman.
Melville was one of 90 veterans to be
flown to Washington, DC last month as
part of Mission #15 for the Hudson Valley
Honor Flight. The trip is free for the
veterans to visit the memorials erected in
their honor.
On a recent rainy afternoon, Melville
sat down beside his wife in their living
room and recalled the Korean War and
the decisions that forever changed his life.
The first came before he’d even turned
Continued on page 5
SERVING CRAWFORD, GARDINER, MAYBROOK, MONTGOMERY, PINE BUSH, SHAWANGUNK, WALDEN AND WALLKILL