Memorial Day Ceremony Held At Veterans Memorial Park In Newark

NEWARK, NJ — Essex County officials held a Memorial Day ceremony at Essex County Veterans Memorial Park in Newark earlier this week, paying tribute to fallen servicemembers.

According to county officials, opened in September 2009, the 2.7-acre park and the Essex County Armed Forces Memorial are dedicated to the men and women who served as members in the U.S. military.

“It has become a tranquil place for veterans to find solace and a constant reminder about the great contributions they have made to our country,” officials stated in a news release.

According to the county website:

"The Armed Forces Memorial, which stands in the middle of the park, includes a circular water fountain flanked by 10 flagpoles behind a low granite wall. The flags of the seven branches of the military – Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, Army National Guard and Air Force National Guard – fly from 25-foot poles while the New Jersey State flag and Essex County flag fly from 30-foot poles. The American flag, at the center of the display, flies from a 35-foot pole. Beneath each flag pole, on the granite wall, is the official agency or government seal. In November 2011, the Memorial plaza was named in honor of Staff Sgt. Jorge Oliveira, an Essex County Sheriff’s Detective who was killed while serving in Afghanistan. He was the first Essex County employee to lose their life in the Middle Eastern conflicts."

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