Portsmouth to host Memorial Day events honoring those who died while serving nation

PORTSMOUTH – The city of Portsmouth will host what City Councilor and U.S. Army veteran Josh Denton described as “a weekend full of events” to honor the men and women who died while serving their country.

Denton, who served in Iraq from 2006 to 2007, and is now the commander of VFW Post 168, said the Memorial Day weekend events are aimed at encouraging people to stop and pay tribute to those who died in the line of duty.

“It’s always great to see whoever makes time to come to any of these events,” Denton said during an interview Monday. “Even if it’s people just out enjoying a three-day weekend who stop to see the parade, it’s great to see new faces participating one way or the other.”

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Denton wears a bracelet in honor of his former gunner, Jonathan Hartman Jr, who died on Nov. 30, 2006 while serving in Iraq.

“It was his third deployment. He was killed while I’ll was on leave,” Denton said. “I think about him often, more so on Memorial Day.”

Portsmouth’s events to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice like Hartman will begin on Friday at 10:30 a.m. with the annual Burial at Sea event.

The event honors men and women who were lost at sea while serving their country, Denton said.

It will be held by the anchor in Prescott Park near the banks of the Piscataqua River.

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“It also honors the civilians who were lost at sea while working for the military,” Denton said.

Denton will serve as moderator for the event, which will also feature a speech by Mayor Deaglan McEachern.

Members of the Portsmouth Middle School Chamber Orchestra are also scheduled to perform.

Then on Saturday at 10 a.m., a number of Little Harbor School student volunteers are slated “to put American flags at the graves of veterans” in the South Street Cemetery, Denton said.

Any community members interested in helping the students can meet at 10 a.m. where Richards Avenue crosses over to the cemetery, Denton said.

Then on Monday, the city’s Memorial Day parade returns after a two-year absence because of COVID-19, according to Denton, who said the parade will step off at 1 p.m. from the intersection of Parrott and Junkins avenues.

It will eventually make its way through Market Square to Middle Street, up Richards Avenue and into the South Street Cemetery, Denton said.

Veterans in the parade will be joined by a variety of groups and people including the Police Department motorcade and color guard, elected officials, the Portsmouth High School band, Portsmouth Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, along with Camila Sacco, of Portsmouth, Miss New Hampshire USA 2022, Denton said.

There will be a ceremony at 2 p.m. near the pond at the cemetery, which will feature a keynote speech by Commander Samuel Bell, the captain of the USS Cheyenne, which is docked at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard.

Mayor McEachern will also speak, Denton said.

Following that ceremony, the Portsmouth VFW will host a cookout for veterans and community members from 3 to 5 p.m. at Prescott Park, he said.

Typically after the parade there has been a small cookout at the City Hall parking lot, but the VFW decided to host the cookout and serve free hamburgers and hot dogs at Prescott Park in hopes of drawing more people to the event, Denton said.

“The equipment we’re going to be grilling on is all commercial grade and Prescott Park is so beautiful that people would much rather spend an hour or two there than in a parking lot,” Denton said. “It also will remind the public that it’s Memorial Day and it’s a day to honor those we lost.”

Denton stressed that the events are not rain or shine.

Should there be sustained inclement weather, the Burial at Sea event scheduled for Friday will be held at the American Legion Post instead.

The same is true for the parade on Monday if it’s raining hard on Monday. In that event, the parade would be canceled but the ceremony will be held at the American Legion off Islington Street, Denton said.

Check the city website for any updates.

Reached Monday, McEachern stated that because fewer people are now serving in the military, “it’s probably more important to remind everybody about the price of freedom and the cost that so many of our men and women in the military have paid to keep us safe.”

“Sometimes I think that everybody can fall victim to taking anything for granted,” he said. “The city certainly would welcome your presence at any of these events.”

“It’s so important to remember those who served in our Armed Forces and didn’t make it back home,” McEachern added. “We enjoy the lives we enjoy because of the service and sacrifice of others.”

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Portsmouth NH to host full weekend of Memorial Day events