The Village of Montgomery, the Osborn-Fitzsimmons American Legion Post 521, and the Dusenberry-Flannery VFW Post 2064 gathered in the Powell’s Landing Pavillion last Thursday, December 7 at 10 a.m. to honor the lives lost during the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, per the village’s annual remembrance.

Mark Merring, commander of the American Legion Post 521, spoke throughout the ceremony and thanked everyone for their continued support.

“The purpose of today’s ceremony is to remember those who were serving and died on an absolute attack on U.S. soil,” Merring said. “Remembering this event each year pays tribute to all those who have their all that day and were the first of many to do so.”

Matt Healy, a veteran, and Orange County’s Senior Assistant District Attorney, and Sebastion, a student from Montgomery Elementary, tossed a wreath into the Wallkill River as Taps played, a display of the community’s determination to never forget the fallen. Other students from Montgomery Elementary, led by their teacher Marianne Jachimiak, sang patriotic anthems, and members of VFW Post 2064 fired a three-rifle volley, a type of military salute.