Fleet Week service members honor women's war time contributions during remembrance celebration

Photo By Petty Officer 3rd Class Patrick D Maher | 160528-N-YF329-017 STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. (May 28, 2016) – Sailors, Marines, assigned to USS Fort McHenry (LSD 43), and Coast Guardsmen, attached to Fort Wadsworth pose for a photo at a flag raising ceremony at the Staten Island Neighborhood Remembrance Ceremony at Lake Cemetery during 2016 Fleet Week New York (FWNY), May 28. FWNY, now in its 28th year, is the city’s time-honored celebration of the sea services. It is unparalleled opportunity for the surrounding tri-state area to meet Sailors, Marines and Coast Guardsman, as well as witness firsthand the latest capabilities of today’s maritime services. The weeklong celebration has been held nearly every year since 1984. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Patrick Maher/ Released)  

NY, UNITED STATES

05.28.2016

Courtesy Story

Navy Region Mid-Atlantic

Story by Mass Communication Specialist Chief Amy Kirk, Fleet Week New York Public Affairs

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. – Sailors and Marines attached to the USS Fort McHenry (LSD 43), and Coast Guardsmen stationed at Fort Wadsworth participated in the annual Neighborhood Remembrance Day Celebration at Lake Cemetery in support of 2016 Fleet Week New York (FWNY), May 28.

As a bugler from Navy Band Northeast played Taps in the background, service members performed a flag ceremony, lowering the cemetery's tattered and faded U.S. flag and replacing it with a new one donated by the Navy JROTC unit from Curtis High School.

"Meeting these veteran today and seeing how much they appreciate us, is a truly humbling experience," said Lance Cpl. Anthony Mulatole. "During this time of year, Memorial Day, you are reminded that without these men and women, we might not be here. I love how these Fleet Week events help bring past and present Sailors and Marines closer together."

The Remembrance Day celebration has been supported by service members for approximately 14 years, and have been instrumental in the overall restoration of the cemetery, said Lynn Rogers, the executive director of Friends of Abandoned Cemeteries of Staten Island (FACSI) who sponsored the event.

"The military support has meant everything to us," she said. "In 2003, the Fleet Week service members showed up in working uniforms to help clean the grounds and upright many of the grave markers."

After a few years of hard work, military assistance transitioned into a more ceremonial role with service members placing flags on graves, performances by the Navy band, and even having a Navy chaplain consecrate the hallowed grounds which serve as the final resting place for hundreds of veterans from the Civil War through World War II, explained Rogers.

This year's event honored women's contribution in wartime including American Legion Auxiliary, the Gold Star Mothers organization, military nurses, and active duty personnel.

"When I think of women in wartime, I am reminded of someone very close to me -- my own mother, Connie, who served as an Army combat medic in Vietnam," said Fort McHenry chaplain, Lt. Charles Noles, one of the events guest speakers. "I am thankful for the legacy of strength and dedication that my mother, and thousands like her, passed on to their children and their nation."

Diane Gerber, one of the executive directors for Staten Island Fleet Week, was among the women honored at the event. Her great, great grandmother, Grace Darling Siebold, is credited with creating the American Gold Star Mothers during World War I. The organization was named for the gold star on the honor flags that hung in the windows of houses where a family member had died in service.

"I want the service members here to remember as they walk through the city this week, visiting and seeing the sights, to stop and take a moment to say thank you from your heart for what they gave you," said Gerber. "This weekend, this holiday is for them and the sacrifices they made for us all."

Fleet Week Sailors, Marines and Coast Guardsmen have a long tradition of participating in a variety of community outreach projects every year, including many of the Memorial Day parades throughout the tri-state area, in an effort to pay homage to those who have served and sacrificed.

FWNY, now in its 28th year, is the city's time-honored celebration of the sea services. It is an unparalleled opportunity to for the citizens of New York and the surrounding tri-state area to meet Sailors, Marines and Coast Guardsmen, as well as witness firsthand the latest capabilities of today's maritime services. The weeklong celebration has been held nearly every year since 1984.

For up-to-date information on all Fleet Week events, visit the official Fleet Week New York website at www.fleetweeknewyork.com, "Like" FleetWeekNewYork on Facebook, and "Follow" @FleetWeekNYC on Twitter. Fleet Week New York photos can be viewed on Instagram at www.instagram.com/fleetweeknyc and Flickr at www.flickr.com/photos/fwynpao. Join the conversation on social media by using #FleetWeekNYC.

• Date Taken: 05.28.2016
• Date Posted: 05.29.2016 17:52
• Story ID: 199437
• Location: NY, US