CAZENOVIA — Cazenovia’s American Legion Post 88 is planning several events for Memorial Day Weekend. Scheduled for Thursday, May 22, through Monday, May 26, the events will commemorate the men and women from the Cazenovia area who have died in military service to the United States, giving what P resident Abraham Lincoln famously described as “the last full measure of devotion.” “Memorial Day was originally intended to commemorate only those members of the armed forces who had died while fighting in our country’s wars, [but] Post 88 also commemorates those military veterans from the Cazenovia area who have passed away during the past twelve months,” said Frank Stritter, a military historian who belongs to the local legion post. Senior association luncheon The Post 88 Color Guard, led by Post 88 Commander Tony Hart, will post and retire the colors and lead the Pledge of Allegiance during the Cazenovia Area Senior Association’s (CASA) Memorial Luncheon at the Hampton Inn on Thursday, May 22, at noon. CASA members will receive the traditional Memorial Day poppy. Stritter will present on the “Ghost Army,” a special unit that used visual, sonic, and radio deception against German forces during World War II. Distribution of American flags to area cemeteries On Friday, May 23, at 9 a.m., Post 88 members — potentially assisted by volunteers and Scouts — will place American flags in area cemeteries where veterans are buried and on veterans’ graves. According to Stritter, flags were originally placed on graves on Memorial Day as a symbolic gesture of remembrance and respect for those who lost their lives while serving in the US military; now, flags are placed in cemeteries to remember any veterans buried there. “The tradition of placing flags on graves, known as ‘Flags In,’ actually began informally just after the Civil War,” Stritter said. “[It] became an official responsibility of the 3rd US Infantry Regiment, also known as ‘The Old Guard,’ in 1948 at Arlington National Cemetery when the ‘Old Guard’ was designated as the Army’s official ceremonial unit. It has since become a national tradition at all cemeteries where veterans are buried.” Poppy distribution Post 88 will distribute poppies to area residents on Saturday, May 24, and Sunday, May 25. The blood red poppy worn on Memorial Day and other days of remembrance symbolizes the sacrifice of those who served and died for the US in any war. The widespread use of the poppy flower to commemorate veterans began in World War I. “Much of the fighting took place in Western Europe, where the countryside was repeatedly fought over in the devastating trench warfare that characterized that war,” said Stritter. “What had once been beautiful landscapes were turned into mud, where very little would grow. However, during that horror, bright red poppies managed to thrive in that war-scared soil, and thousands of them flourished.” Stritter credited Moina Michael, a University of Georgia professor, for championing the use of the red poppy as a sign of remembrance. “[Michael] wrote a poem in 1918 entitled ‘We shall keep the faith’ in which she wrote about the symbolism of the poppy,” he said. “Known as the ‘Poppy Lady,’ Michael campaigned to make the poppy an international symbol of remembrance for veterans. She conceived a plan to wear red poppies on Memorial Day in honor of those who had died serving our nation. She was the first one that we know of to wear a poppy and then sell them to her friends, with the money going to benefit servicemen in need.” In 1920, the poppy became the official flower of The American Legion Family, serving to memorialize the soldiers who fought and died during WWI. in 1924, the Legion made the distribution of poppies a national program to support needy veterans. Poppies can be obtained from Post 88 members on May 24, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the Cazenovia Farmers’ Market, Kinney Drugs, Buyea’s True Value, and Tops Friendly Market. They will also be available on May 25, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Kinney Drugs, Buyea’s, and Tops. Memorial Day Parade Cazenovia’s traditional Memorial Day parade will step off on Monday, May 26 at approximately 10:30 a.m. from in front of Cazenovia High School. The parade will line up at 10 a.m. in the order of march designated by Post 88 member Kevin Markowski. The Post 88 Color Guard will lead the marching units, including area veterans, village and town officials, area fire departments, the Cazenovia Area Volunteer Ambulance Corps, the Cazenovia High School band, and scouts. The parade will march down Forman Street and east on Albany Street. It will stop at Memorial Park at 11 a.m. for the Memorial Day Program. It will then head north on Lincklean Street, turn west on Nickerson Street, and end in front of the high school. Memorial Day Program “John A. Logan was a general in the Union Army during the Civil War and commander of the Grand Army of the Republic [(GAR)] from 1868 to 1871,” said Stritter. “The GAR was a Union Army veterans’ organization similar to today’s American Legion. [To] remember the thousands of soldiers who had died fighting the horrific Civil War, [he] issued a general order, dated May 5, 1868, designating May 30, 1868, as a day for national commemoration and calling on individual GAR posts around the country to do the same. Logan said, at the time, that he wanted the country to remember ‘. . . the cost of a free and undivided republic.’ The first national observance was held that year at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, DC, with 5,000 people in attendance. Thus, Memorial Day — known then as ‘Decoration Day’ — officially emerged as a national day of commemoration and remembrance.” The 2025 Memorial Day Program will include an invocation read by Reverend Rebecca Roberts of St Peter’s Episcopal Church and the National Anthem sung by Cazenovia High School senior Ilsa Denton. The names of all Cazenovia area veterans who passed away during the last year will be read, accompanied by a performance of “Ashokan Farewell” by the Cazenovia High School string quartet under the direction of Mary Coburn. The reading will be followed by a 21-gun rifle salute fired by the Post 88 Rifle Squad. The American flag will be raised, “To the Colors” will be played, and a wreath will be laid to commemorate all Cazenovia area military deaths. Cazenovia bugler Jim Huftalen will play taps, with echoes played by Cazenovia High School band members. “The Commander of the GAR, General Logan, would be proud,” said Stritter. Post 88 Garden of Honor commemoration At 12:30 p.m., Post 88 will recognize the bricks added to its Garden of Honor during the past year. Any member of a US armed force who has been honorably discharged or is still honorably serving and is connected to the Cazenovia area is eligible to have a brick in the garden. A short ceremony is planned. “And thus, the 2025 Memorial Day Weekend will come to its conclusion,” said Stritter. “As it does, let us remember what President Franklin D. Roosevelt, in reminding us of the sacrifices of the armed forces in World War II, said: ‘Those who have long enjoyed such privileges as we enjoy forget in time that men have died to win them.’” To learn more about Cazenovia’s American Legion Post 88, follow the organization on Facebook at facebook.com/cazpost88/. ...read more read less