Doylestown Memorial Day parade honors America’s fallen soldiers in 157th year

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About two hours before a boisterous Memorial Day parade began in Doylestown, there was a quiet moment as the Vietnam War Veterans Chapter 210 raised the American flag in front of the old courthouse.

Veteran Rich Scott joined the Marines when he was just 16 years old.

He’s now 77 years old and has been volunteering with the Memorial Day parade for three decades.

He bristles when businesses advertise Memorial Day as a shopping holiday. For him, it’s about remembering the fallen soldiers, especially those from the conflict he served in.

“It’s not about BBQ and Big Marty’s half-price off on mattresses. It’s about the 58,479 plus men and women [who died] from conflicts in which we’ve been involved,” Scott said, referencing how many U.S. soldiers died during the Vietnam War. The U.S. military reports that 58,200 U.S. soldiers died in the war.

He enjoys the parade festivities but at 3 p.m., he will stop for a moment of silence to remember veterans who died in battle, and also those who died by suicide after they returned home.

Scott helped plant hundreds of flags in front of the new courthouse to symbolize the lives of veterans who died by suicide.

“They are good friends and all of a sudden they cave into the burden that they’ve shouldered all these years and it’s truly sad,” Scott said.

For U.S. Army veteran Ed Lopez, who served in the Gulf War, Memorial Day is about remembering those who lost their lives.

“Recognize that we have a great nation that we live in and all because of the people who stood up and took the oath and did something bigger than themselves,” Lopez said.

He is also going to pause this afternoon to remember fallen comrades, and those who died by suicide.

“Everybody, please stop what you’re doing, take a moment to remember the fallen on the battlefield and who lost the battle here,” he said.

The veteran color guard then marched to the Doylestown War Memorial for a second flag-raising event by the American Legion Post 210 and then the parade began in its 157th year. It’s among the oldest parades in the nation.

About 90 different groups from the Doylestown Post 175 Veteran of Foreign Wars, or VFW, to the Wings of Freedom Aviation Museum marched in the parade. Local students from the Lenape Middle School marching band performed patriotic music during the parade.

That’s where Lindsay Gallagher’s son goes to school. He’s been practicing the trombone all year.

“But specifically for the parade it’s been just a couple practices,” she said while waiting along the parade route.

It was a homecoming for Doylestown native Steve Benecke, who brought his mother and grandmother in tow.

“Growing up in Doylestown, we used to come to this parade frequently and now I’m able to bring my family and spend time with my grandmother as well,” Benecke said.

Corey Robbins’ family found space to watch near the beginning of the parade route, borrowing some chairs from people who live along the parade route.

The experience was a break from their family tradition where they head to the Jersey Shore.

“Usually we’re down at the beach but we ended up staying home this time and kids are super psyched. We can’t believe we got a good spot,” Robbins said.

He said his children, who are 5 and 7 years old, love to watch the marching bands because they can hear them practicing where they live near Mill Creek.

“You hear the booming [marching bands] every night,” he explained.

There are many military veterans in his extended family and he hopes to honor their service.

Doylestown Memorial Day parade marshal and U.S. Navy veteran Chris Sussenguth has been volunteering to help the event run smoothly for about 15 years.

“Everything military and military support are up front. And then behind that, are some of the other organizations in town. Private individuals, antique cars, we have a good selection of tractors,” he said.

He makes sure that it’s a somber parade, not a celebration, and asks everyone to play patriotic music. One year, he stopped a marcher who wanted to blow bubbles and throw candy.

There was a special seating and viewing section along the route for the oldest veterans who may otherwise miss the parade due to physical limitations.

The parade ended with a wreath laying ceremony for fallen soldiers at the cemetery.

Visitors far outnumbered veterans at the parade, something that’s been a trend for years as individuals die of old age.

Less than 1% of the 16.4 million U.S. military veterans who served during World War II are still alive, according to the National World War II Museum. While there were about 9 million active duty military members during the Vietnam War between 1965 and 1975, about 2.7 million veterans served in uniform on the ground. The U.S. Army estimates that about 500 Vietnam War veterans die each day. 

“A lot of our veterans organizations have also declined in numbers,” Sussenguth said. “It was a social [group], they did service work but it was a nice place to hang out with your buddies, tell war stories and do special events and be in the parade.”