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Wallkill Valley Times , Wednesday , November 8 , 2017

THURSDAY , NOVEMBER 9

Montgomery Town Board Audit / Work Session , 7 p . m . Town Government Center , 110 Bracken Road , Montgomery . Gardiner Town Board workshop meeting . 7 p . m . Town Hall , Route 44-55 .

MONDAY , NOVEMBER 13

Valley Central Board of Education 6:30 p . m . Administration building , 944 Route 17K , Montgomery . Maybrook Village Board , 7 p . m . 111 Schipps Lane , Maybrook . Town of Montgomery Planning Board , 7:30 p . m . Town Government Center , 110 Bracken Road , Montgomery .

TUESDAY , NOVEMBER 14 Walden Village Board of Trustees , 6:30 p . m . Village Hall , 1 Municipal Square .

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The Wallkill Valley Times , ( USPS 699-490 ) is a weekly newspaper published every Wednesday at Newburgh , N . Y . 12550 , with offices at 300 Stony Brook Court , Newburgh , N . Y . Single copy : $ 1 at newsstand . By mail in Orange , Ulster or Sullivan Counties : $ 40 annually , $ 44 out of county . Periodicals permit at Newburgh , N . Y . POSTMASTER : Send address changes to Wallkill Valley Times , 300 Stony Brook Court , Newburgh , N . Y . 12550

Veterans and present members of the U . S . military gather for a photo at the Walden Veterans Memorial Park during a celebration honoring veterans .

By JASPREET GILL jgill @ tcnewspapers . com

“ Today we are all here for one reason and that is to honor the millions of veterans who have fought , some of which who have given their lives , for all the precious freedoms we enjoy in this great nation of ours ,” said Mike Anagnostakis , Orange County Legislator for the 17th District , during this past Sunday ’ s Veteran ’ s Day Brick Dedication and Rededication Ceremony .

The event was held on a rainy day at Walden Veterans Memorial Park , but the weather did not deter a huge crowd from showing up to honor veterans for the sacrifices they have made for the country .

Veteran ’ s Day originated as “ Armistice Day ” on Nov . 11 , 1919 , before Congress passed a resolution seven years later in 1926 for an annual observance and in 1938 , the day became a national holiday .

The pre-celebration to Veteran ’ s Day included the military medley “ The Army Goes Rolling Along ” and speeches from members of the community . Walden Police Officer and U . S . Marine Corp Sergeant Robert Montanaro spoke about the symbolism of the poppy , a flower that has been used since 1921 to commemorate military personnel who have died in war .

“ Originally the poppy was called the remembrance poppy ,” he said . “ It started after World War I to commemorate the

soldiers that died in war . It was inspired by a poem called In Flanders Fields .”

In Flanders Fields was written during World War I by Canadian physician Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae on May 3 , 1915 , after presiding over the funeral of his friend and fellow soldier Lieutenant Alexis Helmer , who died in the Second Battle of Ypres .

“ The red of the petal stands for the vast outpouring of blood in battle ,” said Montanaro . “ The yellow in the black center represents the mud in the desolation of the battlefield and the green stem symbolizes the force of the meadows and the fields where generations of Americans have fought and perished for this country . The stem also represents the courage and determination of all of our fallen warriors .”

All poppies are produced and assembled by veterans which are then purchased by veteran organizations . All proceeds of poppy purchase go directly toward funding veteran community events and services .

Samuel Liebman , former U . S . Navy Lieutenant and past President of the Walden Jewish Community Center , closed the ceremony with a Hebrew prayer to honor the veterans who are no longer with us . A reception was held by the Walden Veterans of Foreign Wars on Oak St . following the ceremony .

The 2017 Brick Dedication and Rededication Ceremony was sponsored by the Walden Veterans Memorial Park Committee of the Walden Community Council .

Dave Penny ( l ) and Bob Maceyko ( r ), officers of the Walden Veterans of Foreign Wars , hold up a flag representing Walden Memorial Post 2946 at last Sunday ’ s celebrations .