AVALON – The Borough of Avalon will honor servicemen and servicewomen from all branches of the United States military with a special Memorial Day parade and ceremony that will be held on Mon., May 28, along Dune Drive in Avalon. The parade will culminate with a special ceremony at Veterans Plaza, located at 21st Street and Dune Drive.
“Memorial Day weekend is the official start of the summer tourism season at the Jersey Shore”, said Avalon Mayor Martin Pagliughi. “It also provides us with the opportunity to honor the men and women from the United States military who made the ultimate sacrifice to provide us with the enduring freedom we enjoy every day. I encourage residents and visitors to take time on Memorial Day to remember our heroes, honor our veterans, and enjoy comments by our special keynote speaker”.
Avalon’s guest speaker for the Memorial Day ceremony will be Sgt. Kristin D. Zamichieli who was honorably discharged from five years of service in the United States Marine Corps. Sgt. Zamichieli served as Mission Commander and Instructor/Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Pilot for flights that support “Operation Enduring Freedom” in Afghanistan. During her service, Sgt. Zamichieli executed 194 flights and logged more than 2,300 flight hours while serving in Afghanistan. The missions executed by Sgt. Zamichieli provided military operations with aerial reconnaissance and surveillance of potential terrorist housing and weapons caches. As mission commander, Sgt. Zamichieli was in charge of directing up to eight flights at a time operating in various locations in Afghanistan; she also piloted the planes, managed the cameras, and served as a flight instructor.
For her extraordinary efforts and leadership, Sgt. Zamichieli received a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition from the United States House of Representatives in 2011, and she earned both an Afghanistan Campaign Medal and Navy and Marine Corps Achievement medal in 2010. She has also been recognized for her leadership by the California State Legislature in 2011.
“Sgt. Zamichieli served our country in with various platoons in very dangerous areas of Afghanistan”, Pagliughi said. “She, along with thousands of other brave service men and women, represents America’s new veterans who are returning home from unfamiliar surroundings to protect the quality of life that we embrace every day”.
The 2012 Avalon Memorial Day Parade will form at 8:45 a.m. at the Methodist Church located at 34th Street and Dune Drive and will begin promptly at 9:00 a.m., proceeding north on Dune Drive to Veterans Plaza. Avalon mayor and council will join dozens of Avalon organizations in the parade. American Legion Post #331 from Avalon/Stone Harbor will be in the parade and take part in the ceremony. In the event of rain, the parade will be cancelled but the ceremony will be held at Avalon Community Hall, 30th Street and the beach.
