By DONALD WITTKOWSKI
Hundreds of Sea Isle City residents and visitors reflected on the sacrifices of U.S. servicemen and women during a solemn Memorial Day ceremony to honor those who have died in war to protect America’s freedoms.
Patriotic-themed wreaths decorated in red, white and blue carnations were placed at the base of the Memorial Fountain at Veterans Park to remember all of those who fell in battle during the country’s 246-year history from the Revolution to the war on terrorism.
“Today is a day we remember and honor the brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice serving our country,” Mayor Leonard Desiderio said in opening remarks.
Although the Memorial Day ceremony focused on the nation’s war dead, Sea Isle also honored the living veterans who attended the event. Desiderio asked all of the veterans to stand or raise their hands so they could be recognized by the applauding and cheering crowd.
“How blessed we are to live in a nation that was built on a foundation of democracy,” Desiderio said, while also noting the struggles of Ukraine and other war-torn countries under siege by tyranny.
Desiderio underscored the horror of war by pointing out the staggering number of deaths of U.S. servicemen and women in World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam, Desert Storm and Desert Shield and the war on terror following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
On June 11, Sea Isle will honor former Navy Seal David Tapper, whose family spent summer vacations in Sea Isle for decades, by renaming 89th Street in his honor. Tapper was killed in combat in 2003 while serving in Afghanistan. He was 32 and left behind his wife and four children.
Tapper’s family, of Atco, N.J., owned a vacation home at 110 89th Street. David, the youngest of six children, began vacationing in Sea Isle with his family when he was a child.
His mother, Judi Tapper, formerly served for nine years as the president of the New Jersey Gold Star Mothers, part of a national organization of mothers whose sons or daughters died in the line of duty in military service. Judi Tapper and other family members are expected to attend the June 11 ceremony at 10 a.m. Desiderio invited the public to also attend the ceremony.
David Tapper will not be the first military hero who has a street named in his honor in Sea Isle. A portion of 46th Street is named in honor of Cpl. Michael Crescenz, a Sea Isle summer resident who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroism during the Vietnam War.
Mark Lloyd, commander of VFW Post 1963, noted that Sea Isle “has always been a staunch supporter of our military, a community with a sense of American pride.”
In his remarks during the ceremony, Lloyd said that the sacrifices of so many men and women in the military have “supplied our freedom.”
“Today is not about you or me, or anyone gathered here. Memorial Day is about those who cannot be here so that we can be here,” he said. “Today is about the faces we cannot see, the hands we cannot shake, the laughter we cannot share.”
During another somber moment at the ceremony, Lloyd read a roll call of honored dead veterans who had ties to the local community.
Lloyd’s wife, Patti Lloyd, the president of the VFW Post 1963 Auxiliary, reminded the audience that the Memorial Day holiday “is not a happy one, but rather a solemn one.”
Patti Lloyd added, though, she believes that all of the fallen U.S. servicemen and women would be proud if they only knew of how their sacrifices have allowed Americans to live in freedom.
In a touching tribute near the end of the ceremony, Sea Isle firefighter Ron Taylor played “God Bless America” on the bagpipes to honor the dead. Part way through the song, Taylor stepped away from the ceremony but continued to play while walking along the street. The mournful wail of his bagpipes filled the air in the distance.
Taylor explained afterward that the same gesture is done during memorials for fallen heroes. It symbolizes the burying of the dead, and the living heading back into battle after attending the memorial.
In a final remembrance, Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts in Sea Isle led spectators to the beach while carrying a flowered wreath.
The wreath was presented to members of the Sea Isle Beach Patrol, who rowed one of their lifeguard boats beyond the breakers and set the flowers adrift in honor of sailors who lost their lives at sea.
