Health & Fitness
Schedule D-Day and V-E Day Anniversary Events
Piermont and Orangetown played important roles in World War II. Over 1.3 million troops passed through Camp Shanks and almost 420,000 of them embarked for Europe from the Piermont Pier.
June 6, 2014 will mark the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landing. May 8, 2015 will mark the 70th anniversary of V-E Day. Special events should commemorate these important dates in our communities.
Perhaps our elected officials could request that Navy vessels dock at Piermont Pier during Fleet Week NYC, which takes place in May this year. The ships would provide a spectacular reminder of what Piermont looked like during World War II.
Also, the Blue Angels will be performing on Long Island in late May. Wouldn't it be wonderful if they were to fly over Piermont and perform some aerial maneuvers?
There are many other events that could be scheduled in Piermont and Orangetown to remember these World War II dates. Some ideas include re-enactments of soldiers departing, USO dances, and library discussions on the War and the US role in it.
Events such as these would celebrate local history, benefit our businesses, increase tourism, and educate the public (particularly the children) on the War, on the reasons that it was fought, and on the sacrifices that our people made in order to win it.