PHOTO GALLERY: Toms River's 81st Annual Memorial Day Parade

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

Oh! you who sleep in Flanders Fields,
Sleep sweet - to rise anew!
We caught the torch you threw
And holding high, we keep the Faith
With All who died.

Those words -- from the the poem written by World War I Colonel John McCrae, with the response written by Moina Michael -- put the finishing touches on Toms River’s 81st annual Memorial Day ceremony on Monday.

Dozens of families took time out to line Main and Washington streets for the parade and solemn remembrance for the men and women who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces and given their lives for the country.

“It is absolutely necessary that we honor all these military people who gave their lives,” Mayor Thomas Kelaher said. “By doing this we boost the morale of those who are still fighting overseas, and lets them know people will take care of those left behind.”

American Legion Post 129 Commander Richard Gato was pleased with turnout.

“It’s a tough day, it’s a family day,” he said, “but it was nice to see so many people take time out of their day to pay tribute.”

Though Memorial Day originally got its start as Decoration Day after the Civil War, as an effort to set aside time to decorate the graves of those who died fighting in that war, it grew to include honoring the memory of all those who lost their lives in military service after World War I. The poem “In Flanders Fields” became part of the American Legion ritual for Memorial Day years later, Deputy Vice Commander David Corbin said.

Honoring the memory of those who made the ultimate sacrifice in their service to the United States and its ideals is critical, Gato said.

“We need to be constantly reminded of the price of our freedom,” Gato said. “Our children must know who they are, what they did, and why they did it.”

(Photos: Karen Wall)