What happens one weekend every June at Falls Township Community Park is special. It’s special to the veterans, to their families, and to the community.
This year, as for the past 34, the community is invited to take part in the Delaware Valley Vietnam Veterans’ annual Donald W. Jones Flag Memorial.
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On Friday, volunteers and veterans spread out across the main field at the park to stick 70,000 American flags in the ground. Of those 70,000 flags, 65,000 were carefully placed in the shape of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington D.C. to commemorate Americans who were killed, went missing, or were taken as a prisoners during the war. The remainder were used to create a Star of Honor Memorial for Americans lost in Iraq and Afghanistan and in the Global War on Terror and to remember warfighting dogs.
Starting at noon and going throughout the day on Saturday, the Congressional Gold Medal will be presented World War II veteran Walter E. Peters Jr. and the bands “Skinny Mamie,” “Kings and Jacks,” “Mikey Jr.,” “Witzend,” “Sister Blue,” and “Seven Band” will perform.
The events on Sunday will start at noon with the annual motorcycle rally that will kick off at the Bristol Township Vietnam Veterans Memorial outside the Municipal Complex on Bath Road and ride to Falls Township Community Park. Following the ride, a ceremony will be held starting at 1 p.m. at the flag memorial to remember those lost in service to the nation.
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After Sunday’s festivities, volunteers will be needed to help clear the flag display.
Ed Sabol, an organizer for the Delaware Valley Vietnam Veterans, said the festivities and memorial give the community a chance to reflect on the sacrifices of soldiers.
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The memorial started at Silver Lake Nature Center in Bristol Township before moving to Falls Township Community Park nearly 20 years.
