Tuskegee Airmen among marchers in Hempstead parade

The snare drum trilled, the bagpipes broke in and the masses began their march down Greenwich Street in Hempstead Village Sunday, one of many events held in observance of Memorial Day across Long Island.

A beaming sun lit the way for the famed Tuskegee Airmen and other veterans representing every major conflict from World War II to the Iraq War; chanting troops of Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts; local politicians; and even a band of cowboys wowing onlookers with lasso tricks.

On a float, the St. George's Church band sounded out a familiar and patriotic tune on a flatbed full of steel drums: "America the Beautiful."

"The parade takes on meaning knowing that everyone is . . . out there to honor veterans who served our country," said Hempstead Mayor Wayne Hall Sr., a Vietnam-era Army veteran. Hall said he believes Hempstead's event is the oldest Memorial Day parade on Long Island.

For Berlene Williams, 71, who has lived in Hempstead since 1957 and has three brothers who served in the military, the parade is as much a time to recognize veterans as it is a chance to acknowledge public servants such as volunteer firefighters and police officers. "If it wasn't for them, we wouldn't be as safe as we are," she said.

A member of the Hempstead Fire Department, spotting Williams' daughter, Teresa Wilkerson, in the crowd, stopped his vehicle in the caravan and got out to give her a hug. "We used to march in this parade together," said Wilkerson, 37. "He used to be in the drums [section] and I was a flag majorette."

Margaret Johnson, 80, a past national president of American War Mothers, said she'd marched in the local parade each year from 1983 until last year, when walking from Marvin Avenue to Greenfield Cemetery in Uniondale got to be too much. Still, she came decked out in the group's all-white uniform and red hat, and rode along the route in a car. "The vets did so much for us," said Johnson, of Uniondale, whose son Donnie Ray Johnson, 54, served in the U.S. Navy. "We have to give them thanks for working so hard to secure the freedoms that mean so much to us."

Tuskegee Airman Victor Terrelonge, 87, of Roosevelt said he continues to take part in the annual parade out of loyalty for his comrades. "We were such a tight group. If you lose one who gets shot down, while I didn't - it's a feeling that's pretty hard to shake," he said. "I have to respect the guys who fought, who came home, and the guys who didn't come home. And this is the only way I know to do that."