Each Memorial Day, Steve Shurtleff carves out time to lay flowers on the graves of two Penacook residents who served in Vietnam at the same time as him.
For him, the day provides an occasion to remember all of those lost in service to their country.
Shurtleff served in the U.S Army from 1966-1969, a year of which was spent in Vietnam.
“When we, who served in Vietnam, came home, we didn’t always get a warm welcome,” he said.
Today, however, the American public commemorates the sacrifices of those who served, including those who did not return home, through parades, wreath-laying events, church services and more.
“I think it’s important for us, especially those of us who have served in the military, that we all do all we can to engage people in the whole meaning of Memorial Day and to honor those who have fought…and have died for our nation, and that they not be forgotten, and always remembered,” said Shurtleff, a Merrimack County commissioner.
His hometown of Penacook provides one such opportunity. Its annual Memorial Day Parade started in the early 1900s to remember local fallen soldiers. The community organized the event every year until it ceased to exist.
Lifelong Penacook residents Cindi Jaques and Irene Ortega brought back the old tradition in 2022 as a way to remember those lost in service and bring the community together after the pandemic.
Jaques and Ortega remembered the parade fondly from their childhoods and wanted to continue to honor lost veterans. Jaques said that this is not a celebration, but a day of solemn remembrance.
“We are memorializing the soldiers that didn’t come home,” she said.
Over the past few years, more organizations, volunteers and companies joined the parade, including the ice cream shop Sweet Dreamz, Ace Hardware, Race Across America, The American Legion and various local fire departments.
Another group, Equine Therapy Center, will participate this year. The organization invites disabled veterans and others to work with horses.
The parade takes place on Sunday, May 24 at 9 a.m., starting from Merrimack Valley High School and ending at Washington Street School. It also features a wreath-laying ceremony at the Penacook World War One Memorial statue on Charles Street.
“It’s a patriotic event, but it’s not a festival. It’s respecting what the day is about,” Jaques said.
Following the parade, local vendors will set up a field day including crafts, photographers and sidewalk games.
Memorial Day, for Shurtleff, also offers reflection on the ties to those with whom he served.
“There’s a closeness among us that served in Vietnam,” he said.
Honoring fallen soldiers is particularly important to Shurtleff, especially given the negative views the public had of American soldiers at the time of the Vietnam War.
“Just as we hate the sin, but love the sinner, we may hate the war, but don’t hate the soldier, sailor, the Marine or the Air Force member who’s fighting in that war,” he said.
Here is a list of other Memorial Day events in the Concord area:
Allenstown: Memorial Day Mass at St. John the Baptist Cemetery at 9 a.m. on Monday, May 25.
Boscawen: Memorial Day Ceremony at the NH State Veterans Cemetery at 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 30.
Bow: Ceremony at 3 Center Road from 4:30-5:30 p.m. followed by a community picnic at 5:15-6:30 p.m. on Monday, May 25.
Canterbury: Ceremony in the town center on Center Rd. at 10 a.m. on Monday, May 25.
Dunbarton: Wreath Laying Ceremony at the Dunbarton Town Common & Center Cemetery at 11 a.m. on Monday, May 25.
Epsom: Memorial Day Ceremony at 398 Black Hall Road, Epsom Bible Church, at 10 a.m. on Monday, May 25.
Henniker: Memorial Day Parade at Henniker Community School at 10 a.m. on Monday, May 25.
Hopkinton: Memorial Day Parade at 10 a.m. at the fire station in Contoocook on Monday, May 25.
Pittsfield: Memorial Day Commemoration Ceremony at Dustin Park at 1 p.m. on Sunday, May 24.
