"Give me liberty or give me death" is the most famous part of colonial America patriot Patrick Henry's speech 1775, and it was the cornerstone of remarks delivered by former Mayor Wayne Dougherty and newly-elected Mayor Bill Martin during Havre de Grace's Memorial Day service Monday.
"Liberty to me is one of the most beautiful sounding words in the English language," Martin said, as he addressed a good sized crowd gathered at Tydings Park for the ceremony under a bright blue sky and with the Chesapeake Bay as a backdrop.
Sounds of boats slowly motoring toward the open water filled the air, mixing with the sound of children playing on the playground just behind the gazebo where the event took place.
Veterans scattered throughout the crowd, proudly donned their organization's caps, or even a simple American Flag shirt or ball cap representing the war in which they fought. Others wore a red paper poppy flowers distributed by the Ladies Auxiliary of Joseph L. Davis Post 47 of the American Legion.
"From our founding Revolution to today's global War on Terrorism, nearly one million men and women in the Armed Forces have sacrificed their lives while defending America in time of war," Joseph L. Davis Post 47 Commander Bud Lilly said as he welcomed those gathered for the ceremony..
The crowd watched as wreaths were laid at the park's memorial by representatives from a host of military and other veterans organizations and taps was played by Jilian Laasko.
As the ceremony drew to a close and people prepared to head off for private Memorial Day activities, everyone was encouraged to remember the ultimate sacrifices paid by so many American service members in defense of the county and freedom around the world.
Following the service, several people took a closer look at the wreaths and at the memorial.
Kevin Gill, an Army soldier stationed at Aberdeen Proving Ground, and his daughter, Shelby, took a few moments to read the long list of names on the memorial and smell the fresh flowers adorning the several wreaths before making their way back home to enjoy the rest of the holiday.