Memorial Day Is 'Supposed to Be the 30th,' VFW Commander Says

Montville VFW Post 5481 won't be holding its Memorial Day ceremony on Monday, the day of the federal holiday.

Instead, it will begin its memorial ceremony at 11 a.m. Thursday at the post on Changebridge Road.

For years, the post has honored America's war dead on May 30, the original date set for the holiday. Congress passed a law in 1968 moving several holidays, including Memorial Day, to Mondays, creating three-day weekends.

The holiday is "supposed to be the 30th," Post Commander Frank Warholic said in a recent interview. Holding it May 30 "rather than the barbecue weekend" is a way to give the holiday the respect it deserves, he said.

The post's ceremony includes prayers, the playing of the national anthem, "Taps" and "God Bless America," a Memorial Day address by Warholic, ceremonial gunfire, and the placing of flags and flowers as part of a ritual to honor those who died.

To understand why the post conducts its ceremony on May 30 instead of Monday, look at traffic around the township, Warholic said.

"We're more worried about going away for the three-day holiday than an important day to honor the veterans who have given their lives," he said.