In the midst of our busy lives and daily problems, sometimes it’s necessary to take a moment and reflect on a grander scale. Memorial Day provides such an opportunity, when people can set aside drama and disagreements to honor those who gave all for their fellow citizens.
Living in the Historic Triangle provides a particularly unique perspective for gazing upon those memories, with commemorative events honoring centuries of sacrifice spanning both Williamsburg and Yorktown.
“It’s the cradle of history,” said Tom Campbell, member and former president of the Sons of the American Revolution. His organization, alongside the Daughters of the American Revolution, is working with Colonial Williamsburg on their event.
The ceremony will take to the Governor’s Palace and the cemetery behind it. The Fifes and Drums will then lead a parade marching down Duke of Gloucester Street to Bruton Parish Church to commemorate its cemetery.
Wreath-laying ceremonies at several sites, including the capital, will honor those who Campbell described as “forgotten patriots.”
“That represents the importance of those that sacrificed all for our independence,” he said.
As one of the Sons of the American Revolution, Campbell had to prove he descended from a Revolutionary War supporter. Thus, military service runs deep in his blood, and the historic area resonates with him.
“You’ve got Jamestown. You’ve got Williamsburg. You’ve got Yorktown,” Campbell said. “This is the place to be.”
Then and now
Eastward, Yorktown’s ceremony will feature contemporary veterans paying tribute to those who forged the path before them.
“We celebrate Yorktown as a place where America began,” said Dan Seabolt, vice chairman of the York County Historical Commission. He cited the Battle of Yorktown as the one that defined America’s freedom beginning in 1781.
Seabolt said this year’s Memorial Day holds particular significance. It coincides with the 100-year anniversary of the United States entering World War I, when the number of armed service personnel swelled from tens of thousands to more than four million.
“It’s very important for us to remember that,” he said. “It defined the United States as a world power.”
Seabolt hails from a family of veterans; his father, grandfather, uncles, brothers and brothers-in-law all served. He committed 22 years to the air force himself.
He also taught in area schools for 16 years, and he said he was consistently concerned by students’ lack of interest in history.
“If you don’t look to the past to see where you’ve been, it doesn’t really matter where you’re going,” he said.
At Monday’s event, the Yorktown chapter of the Disabled American Veterans and the Daughters of the American Revolution will lay wreaths and flowers. The Fifes and Drums of York Town will play.
Walt Zaremba, a lawyer who served 33 years in the army and has served on the York County Board of Supervisors since 1995, will speak at the event.
“It’s not about mourning or celebrating great victories,” Seabolt said.
Instead, it’s about the people, all those with spouses and kids and friends left behind for the greater good.
“We think of those fallen as the ones who became the guardians at the gate,” he said. “We’re here to honor the fallen and remember the past.”
Birkenmeyer can be reached by phone at 757-790-3029.
Want to go?
Memorial Day at Colonial Williamsburg runs from 9:30 a.m.-11 a.m. Monday at the Palace Green. Colonial Williamsburg is also offering free admission to its paid sites and art museums for all active duty military, reservists, retirees, veterans, national guardsmen and immediate dependents.
The York County Historical Committee Memorial Day Ceremony runs from noon-1 p.m. Monday at York Hall.
Both events are free and open to the public.
Looking for some fun?
James City County’s two outdoor pools are opening for the summer on Saturday. Opening day festivities, including door prizes, will take place from noon-6 p.m. Pools are located at Chickahominy Riverfront Park, 1350 John Tyler Highway, and Upper County Park, 180 Leisure Road, Toano. Pool fees range from $3-$5. Children 5 and younger are free.
