Avalon to Honor Military Heroes During Memorial Day Parade and Ceremony May 30

AVALON – The Borough of Avalon will pay tribute to the men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country during a special Memorial Day parade and ceremony on Monday, May 30th. A parade will begin at 9:00am at 34th Street and Dune Drive with a ceremony to follow at Veterans Plaza at 21st Street and Dune Drive.
“Memorial Day weekend is not only the official start of the summer tourism season in Avalon but it also provides an opportunity to honor those who lost their lives while protecting our freedom”, said Avalon Mayor Martin Pagliughi. “Our parade and ceremony includes participation of men and women who served our country, and we are honored to thank them for their exemplary service”.
This year’s featured speaker at the Avalon Memorial Day Ceremony will be Mary Conboy. Mrs. Conboy is from Pennsylvania and is responsible for honoring her son’s last request by initiating “Operation Bedding”, which provides comforts of home for soldiers who are serving our country overseas.
On a Sunday morning in 2006, Mary Conboy received a telephone call from her son, Adam Conboy who served in the United States Marines in Iraq. Adam requested some basic supplies from home, including pillows and other items. Adam was quick to point out to his mother that whatever she sent had to be in multiples of 40 since there were 40 soldiers in his platoon. Adam joked with his mother to “get Operation Bedding going” for the men and women who were serving overseas. Five days later, Adam Conboy was killed in Iraq on May 12th, 2006.
Mary Conboy started the Adam C. Conboy Memorial Fund which initiated “Operation Bedding”. The mission statement of the fund is to enhance the quality of life of all military personnel serving in Iraq and Afghanistan by sending comforts of home to their remote locations. To date, “Operation Bedding” has sent nearly 10,000 boxes of these comfort items to our troops. Mary Conboy’s efforts have received coverage from “People” magazine, the “Dr. Phil” television program, and many media outlets in the Delaware Valley region.
Some of the typical supplies that are included in boxes sent overseas from “Operation Bedding” include eye drops, pillows, bug spray, wash cloths, baby wipes, razors, tooth brushes, tooth paste, power bars, hard candy, gum, and moisture lotion. To learn more on how you can support “Operation Bedding” please visit www.adamconboymemorialfund.org.
The parade will line up at 8:45am at the Methodist Church at 34th and Dune Drive and will begin promptly at 9:00am, proceeding north on Dune Drive to the Avalon Veterans Plaza, located at 21st Street. In the event of rain, the parade will be cancelled but the ceremony will still take place inside at the Avalon Community Hall, at 30th Street and the Beach.
Avalon’s Borough Council and various officials will be attending the event. The ceremony will include American Legion Post #331, along with police, fire, and rescue equipment from Avalon and Stone Harbor. The ceremony also includes a flag-raising, gun salute, and the formal presentation of wreaths in memory of those men and women of the armed forces who have given their lives for our country.
For more information, please visit Avalon’s website, www.avalonboro.org.