There are towns that host parades, and towns that hold ceremonies. And then there is Greenwich, which remembers—with purpose, with clarity, and with heart.
Over Memorial Day weekend, in neighborhoods from Byram to Cos Cob to Old Greenwich, residents came together not simply to mark a holiday, but to honor those who gave their lives in service to the nation. They showed up not for spectacle, but for solemnity. They remembered.
In Old Greenwich, the Sound Beach Volunteer Fire Department led the annual parade, a tradition dating back to 1923. Firefighters marched alongside scouts, local veterans, police officers, EMTs, youth groups, and clergy. Families lined Sound Beach Avenue waving flags, the faces of children lit up by the sight of uniformed service members walking past. There were no gimmicks, just gratitude. No need to perform patriotism—only to live it, briefly and sincerely, in the company of neighbors.
A few miles away, the Cos Cob VFW Post 10112 held its own remembrance ceremony, drawing veterans, town leaders, and scout troops together around the Memorial Post. The gathering commemorated not just those who fell, but the enduring legacy of service. This year marked the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War and the 125th anniversary of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. These milestones weren’t framed as history lessons—they were personal reminders of promises kept and sacrifices made.
“Pause, pray, honor, and commemorate,” said veteran Bill Cameron. He reminded the crowd not only to remember those who wore the uniform, but also their families—the parents, children, sweethearts, and friends who bore the burden of absence and loss. His words were not polished or rehearsed; they were true, and that was enough.
In Byram, the Veterans Association held its traditional service at Eugene Morlot Park. There, under trees planted in memory of former Byram School students lost in World War II, residents reflected not just on wars past, but on lives lived and names preserved. One by one, the trees were decorated with flowers and flags—small gestures that together told a larger story: Greenwich remembers in detail.
And the remembering wasn’t limited to speeches. The Cos Cob VFW collected books for donation, extending the day’s spirit of service into daily life. Small actions—bringing a flag, planting a flower, sharing a memory—quietly affirmed what Betty Shopovic, mother of a former soldier, said so plainly: “We need to do more to show our appreciation.”
She’s right. And in Greenwich, people still try. They gather in parks and on sidewalks. They lift a flag when the wind catches it. They stand when it passes. They tell their children what it means. They stop, if only for a moment, to remember.
This year’s events were full of those moments. Not just applause, but reflection. Not just celebration, but reverence. Memorial Day, after all, is not just a long weekend. It is a national promise—to never forget the cost of the freedom we enjoy.
Greenwich kept that promise. Quietly. Faithfully. Together
