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In his speech, Bedford Town Supervisor Chris Burdick talked about what would be missing if not for that sacrifice, including freedom of speech, religion, assembly or press.
Making an analogy to freedom, Burdick also mentioned that one does not fully appreciate the use of an arm or eyesight until they are lost.
“Let us hope and pray that the same is not true of our freedom," he said.
Burdick added, “We hallow those fallen by remembering them and being thankful to them."
Rodger Guest, a Bedford Hills resident and U.S. Coast Guard reservist who was involved in its response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks and Hurricane Katrina, spoke about two people who were killed during past wars. The examples he gave included Joyce Kilmer, a poet from New Jersey who died in World War I, and Ralph Emerson Mayers III, who was from Bedford Hills and died in the Vietnam War at just 20 years old.
Guest's daughter, Kristin, sang the national anthem. Additional services included performance from the Mount Kisco Ancients Fife & Drum Corps, taps and a wreath-laying. Calvin Walker, lead pastor of the nearby Bedford Community Church, gave the opening prayer while John Flynn, a chaplain for the Bedford Hills Fire Department, gave the closing prayer.
The Bedford Hills parade was one of three scheduled for the town. The other parades were scheduled for Katonah and Bedford Village.
A photo gallery of the parade and ceremony is attached.
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