Honor the people who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country when the Cyrus R. Peters Memorial VFW Post 5956 hosts its annual Memorial Day parade and ceremony. The event will take place on Monday, May 25, at Manheim Veterans Memorial Park, by the Manheim Central High School football stadium, 320 Memorial Drive. People will gather at 9:30 a.m., and the parade will kick off at 10 a.m.

The parade will start on Memorial Drive and will proceed down High Street to the square. It will continue north on Main Street and turn east on Gramby Street to return to the park.

"Being a solemn memorial event, there will be one float depicting a memorial photo wall of veterans donated by community members with loved ones who have served," said Bill King, adjudant and former post commander. "There will be some military vehicles driven by active duty soldiers and several passenger vehicles with veterans riding along. The Mount Joy Legion Riders will be in the parade, and the Boy Scouts and Young Marines will walk in the parade as well."

Following the parade, a ceremony will be held at Manheim Veterans Memorial Park.

The featured speaker will be James Mergott, Sergeant First Class. He is a veteran of Desert Storm and Iraqi Freedom. Local students will read essays that they have written, and one will read the Gettysburg Address.

"The featured speaker will honor a local veteran, Jay Buckwalter, Private First Class, who was killed in service," King remarked.

Dedicated in 2023, the Manheim Veterans Memorial honors the service of all veterans, but especially those from Manheim and neighboring Penn and Rapho townships, who served in the military in peace and war. It includes flagpoles for the Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force, Space Force and Coast Guard flags, as well as the Merchant Marines. The plaza also consolidates three other monuments from around Manheim, and it features an easily accessible site with a central gazebo for quiet reflection. Hundreds of memorial bricks have been placed around the plaza, highlighting veterans on the Path of Honor.

Hosting the Memorial Day parade and ceremony provides the VFW members an opportunity to fulfill the organization's mission.

"The Manheim VFW works to remember, honor and support veterans and their families through fundraising, volunteering and events such as this one to remember those who have served and gave their all," King said.

For more information, search for the "Manheim VFW Post 5956 - Cyrus R. Peters Memorial Post" on Facebook.