Jul
Declaration of Independence
My Legion Post provided the color guard for a small ceremony today at Freehold Borough Hall. It began to 9 a.m. This is the annual reading of the Declaration of Independence. The thing about it is how it is done. They get the people involved, and enough are picked to read every line, every state and every signer’s name. One by one they step up and read their line. This year folks from a bike run were there. It was a real slice of local life to see folks stepping up.
The reading was followed by the firemen raising a 13-star flag, the Pledge of Allegiance, and patriotic songs sung by a local group. It was simple and yet profound.
This happened within a mile of the place where the Battle of Monmouth was fought. In fact, the Borough’s flag bears an image of a Revolutionary War cannon with crew and Molly Pitcher.
These little ceremonies remind us of the reason behind these holidays. 233 years ago, a group of men made a daring choice. They knew it would bring the ire of a super power of the day. The words would have to be backed up with everything they had. Today, we celebrated that event in a simple and dignified style that lent the voice of all the people to it.
By the way, I was the Legionnaire carrying the American Flag. They usually pick the tallest, and in this case it was also the heaviest man.
The morning ended up with Audrey and I going to the Doyle Veteran’s cemetery to visit her father’s grave.
Tonight, fireworks.
