Veterans Day ceremonies held today in Riverhead and at Calverton National Cemetery honored the nation’s military veterans with prayer, wreaths, music and remembrances.
The Riverhead Combined Veterans Committee held a solemn ceremony at the War Memorial at the corner of West Main and Court streets, where an eternal flame burns atop a 101-year-old granite monument in memory of World War I.
Riverhead VFW Post Commander Thomas Najdzion presided over today’s ceremony on the lawn outside the Suffolk County Historical Society Museum, where members of the American Legion, VFW, VFW Auxiliary, a Riverhead High School NJROTC Color Guard, and town officials were joined by community residents for the 11 a.m. service.
The time and date of the observance marks the signing of the agreement that ended World War I — at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.
Supervisor Yvette Aguiar, Councilwoman Catherine Kent and Councilman Frank Beyrodt attended the ceremony and addressed those in attendance.
Wreaths were placed at the base of the monument, followed by taps and the traditional gun volley.
An abbreviated ceremony was held at 1 p.m. at Calverton National Cemetery, hosted by the cemetery’s support committee. The ceremony was canceled last year due to the pandemic and scaled back this year also out of concerns about COVID-19. Officials said they hope both the Memorial Day and Veterans Day ceremonies will return to normal in 2022.
Rep. Lee Zeldin was the keynote speaker. Zeldin, an Army veteran who deployed to Iraq and who currently serves in the Army Reserve, reflected on what his military service has meant in his life and how important it is for Americans to honor the nation’s military veterans.
RiverheadLOCAL photos by Denise Civiletti and Alek Lewis
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