Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Memorial Association

2444 Broadway – Box 122

New York, NY  10024  

ssmassn@msn.com

Dedicated to the Preservation of the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument and to all those who serve our country.

 

For immediate release
Contact: Patt Dale (212) 877-5715

 

MEMORIAL DAY (MAY 29) SPECIAL COMMEMORATION TO BE HELD AT THE SOLDIERS’ & SAILORS’ MONUMENT (89th ST. & RIVERSIDE DRIVE) BEGINNING AT 10:30 am, FOLLOWED BY “A WALK OF REMEMBRANCE” TO A CIVIL WAR ENCAMPMENT AT GRANT’S TOMB (122ND ST. & RIVERSIDE DRIVE)

                                      

April 28, New York City.  There will be a special Memorial Day Commemoration at the Soldiers’ & Sailors’ Monument in Riverside Park at 89th St. on Monday, May 29th beginning at 10:30 AM to honor New Yorkers who fought in the Civil War as well as all who have served in wars up to the present. Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, NYC Council Member Gale Brewer and General Nathaniel James of the legendary 369th Regiment are among the dignitaries who will speak. A Marine Corps Color Guard will participate as many veterans’ organizations lay wreaths at the bronze portal of the Monument. 

In conjunction with Fleet Week, several dozen US Navy and Marine Corps personnel will be in attendance.

Participating organizations include: American Legion, Catholic War Veterans, Daughters of the American Revolution, Grant Monument Association, Jewish War Veterans, Korean War Veterans, Military Order of the Purple Heart, Montford Point Marines, New York Caledonian Club, The Old Guard, Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, Seventh Regiment Veterans’ Association, 65th  Honor Task Force, 369th Veterans Association, Vietnam Veterans of America, Junior R.O.T.C. units from local high schools as well as various community organizations.

Following the service at the Monument, there will be a “Walk of Remembrance” led by National Park Service reenactors of the Civil War, accompanied by a bag-piper, along Riverside Park to Grant’s Tomb at 122nd St.  At Grant’s Tomb there will be a Civil War encampment and a reenactment of the life of a Union Soldier, including musket demonstrations.

Dr. George Chall is Chairman of the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Memorial Association, which is dedicated to the preservation of the monument, and to honoring those who have served our country.  A World War II veteran, he served as a medic with Patton’s 3rd Army.   “Memorial Day commemorations at the monument,” Chall noted, “began in 1902, when Union Veterans of the Civil War paraded along Riverside Park from the Monument to Grant’s Tomb.  Four years ago we renewed the annual tribute at the Monument and this year we are joining with our “sister memorial”, The General Grant National Memorial, to retrace the historic steps of the Grand Army of the Republic.”

Designated, a New York City Landmark, the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Monument is dedicated to those New Yorkers who served in the Civil War.  Gov. Theodore Roosevelt laid the cornerstone in 1900 and the Monument was dedicated on Memorial Day in 1902.  Nearly 100 feet high, the stately marble and granite structure was designed by Charles and Arthur Stoughton in the shape of an Athenian round temple supported by twelve Corinthian columns. It is a distinctive feature of the skyline on the West Side of Manhattan. The New York City Department of Parks & Recreation maintains the Monument

Dedicated in 1897, Grant’s Tomb (The General Grant National Memorial) is the second largest mausoleum in the world.  It is the final resting place of Ulysses S. Grant, principal author of the Union victory in the Civil War and 18th President of the United States. Also buried in the granite and marble monument is his wife, Julia Dent Grant. The National Park Service has administered the Memorial since 1959. 

Convenient transportation from 89th Street to 122nd Street on Riverside Drive is available via the No. 5 MTA bus.  All events are free. For further information, the public can call 311 or go to the website: www.nyc.gov/parks 

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Press Coverage during this Memorial Day commemoration is invited. Please contact Patt Dale at 212-877-5715 for details about parking, etc. Press Badges will be required.