In years past, bright blue and red uniforms of the American Legion's Women's Auxiliary seemed to give the ritual its color, but greens and orange swirled into the mix as H.H. Acharya Shree, the high religions leader of the Shree Swaminarayan Gadi Hindu sect in India, came to pay homage to the American soldiers who had died in foreign wars.
Shailesh D. Vyas, the senior media representative, said Archarya Shree had come to Secaucus in preparation for the opening of a Hindu Temple in August. In discovering the event during a talk with Mayor Dennis Elwell, the religious leader asked if he could pay tribute.
Acharya Shree an exponent of Jain Philosophy, and has been called "a crusader for peace and non violence." Shree was the first religious leader to go to the site of last year's devastating earthquake in India, Vyas said.
Acharya Shree was born to a prosperous family in Punjab, India. During an outbreak of violence, Acharya Shree saw mass slaughter that caused him to embrace non-violence. He decided to devote his life as a Jain Saint to the promotion of peace through propagating the principles and teaching of Tirthankars and Jainism, for the upliftment of the worst-affected downtrodden people, and the protection of animals, wildlife and the environment.
He completed his academic education M.A. with English literature and Philosophy. He visited trans-India then Geneva, Toronto, Kuwait, the USA and many other places around the globe in order to have a comparative study of different cultures, morals and values before taking diksha, or religious instruction, from his guru, Sh. Gyan Muniji M.S.
A pleasant surprise
Town officials did not get Shree's request to appear at the Memorial Day ceremonies until after a meeting on May 27.
"When we were talking to him, we explained the meaning of Memorial Day," Deputy Mayor John Reilly said. "He left, and a half hour later, someone called and asked if he could become involved with the ceremony."
In a year that has paid significant tribute to veterans from World War II, Mayor Elwell said it was appropriate to have representatives from India at the ceremonies. Indian soldiers were among the staunchest of allies during the second World War, fighting not only in Asia but also in North Africa.
Members of the proposed temple have been very generous with Secaucus, town officials said, noting that in 1998 when they first brought the project to town they donated $25,000 to the Chief Police Youth Fund and the town's Recreation Department. Since then, they have donated to various organizations, giving $1,000 on Memorial Day to be split between the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
"In discussions with us about the temple, they made it very clear they wanted to be a part of our community," Reilly said.
The Shree Swaminarayan Gadi Hindu Temple is currently under construction on Penhorn Avenue in Secaucus. In a ceremony of his own, Acharya Shree offered flowers before the town's moment to soldiers who died in wars, casting the petals to the wind. Later, he placed a flower on each grave, and then put a garland of flowers around the neck of Howard Elwell, the oldest veteran present at this year's ceremony.
Traditional ceremony also held
The town's traditional ceremony was also conducted. To the tolling of a bell, friends, relatives or fellow veterans walked out to crosses placed on the front lawn of Town Hall and put an American flag on it. Each cross bore the name of a fallen veteran.
Some of the names had faded into the background, now-historic figures from World War I whose families only remotely remembered some relative talking about them. Others from the more recent wars were still mourned, even though in some cases their passing had occurred more than 50 years ago.
Those honored were Edward Ivonoski, Paul Shetik, Edumun R. Naters, Joseph Hassenforder, Thomas G Blondell, Howard Eckel, Anthony F. Fusco, Angus J Gillis, Fred H. Koelle Jr., Louis A. Lanza, William C. Mansfield, Edward C. Reidel, Martin J. Sampson, Frank I. Schultz, Adrian H. Smit, Arnold P Spamann, Henry P. Walters, Armond Alvino, and Raymond Schopmann.
Struggling to keep their memory alive
Although Memorial Day is technically a day for remembering those soldiers who died defending their country, each year brings back the news of some veteran who survived the war but did not survive the past year.
In order to make certain that Memorial Day is commemorated in Secaucus in the future, the Town Council will introduce an ordinance on June 6. This would guarantee that ceremonies conducted would continue in the future.
"This is a promise we've made to the veterans," Elwell said, noting that many of the chief organizers of the yearly tribute are World War II and Korean conflict veterans, many of whom are aging and fear the day will not be observed once they have died. "The ordinance will make certain that the last Monday in May will be commemorated."
Elwell noted that this is not a new concern and that the tradition of Memorial Day goes back to the Civil War. Except for the Persian Gulf War - a conflict that lasted less than a year - Americans have lived largely in peace, making the sacrifice these veterans gave more remote to younger people.
Elwell, who is a veteran of the Vietnam War, said this year the town held an essay and poster contest in order to make younger people aware of Memorial Day's significance. Next year, he hopes to revive a Civil War tradition that was carried on in Secaucus by having young students read the Gettysburg Address as part of the ceremony. He also may institute a new tradition that would have students carry out the flags to each grave, getting the young more involved with the ceremony itself.
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