Photos: Honoring the Dead, Helping the Living
On Saturday, June 11, ILoVeterans held a fundraiser at the Altamont Fairgrounds to raise funds for the veterans at home while on Sunday June 12, a group of runners for the Run for the Fallen came through Guilderland honoring those who gave the ultimate sacrifice.
The Enterprise — Michael Koff
American flags line the pallets to be burned Saturday at the Altamont fairgrounds for the inaugural Military Appreciation Day to raise awareness and funds to meet veterans’ needs.
The Enterprise — Michael Koff
Proper last respects: Folding the American flag into a triangle, a Boy Scout from Troop 264 prepares for burning it in a watch fire.
The Enterprise — Michael Koff
Getting the program started, students from LaSalle Institute ROTC program lead some members of the American Legion Riders to bring the colors to the stage. “There are 50,000 homeless vets in the country, about 1,000 are in the Capital District,” said Dave Bauer, president of ILoVeterans.
The Enterprise — Michael Koff
Two veterans salute while the national anthem plays before the honoring of the military branches at the Northrup Stage.
The Enterprise — Michael Koff
Never forgotten: American Legion Rider Steve Oliver, left, presents Guilderland’s Jack Clark with an Honor and Remember flag for his son Lieutenant Colonel Todd J. Clark; he was killed in Afghanistan on his fifth tour of duty. His mother sheds a tear.
The Enterprise — Michael Koff
Honor the fallen: Another runner places American flags with the Honor and Remember flag underneath on the corner of Foundry Road and Western Avenue.
The Enterprise — Michael Koff
Honor and Remember, a 140-mile run across New York honoring 338 fallen soldiers along the way, came to Guilderland on Sunday at noon. A runner bends to hug Harold F. Greene Sr. whose son, Major General Harold J. Greene, was killed in Afghanistan in 2014.
The Enterprise — Michael Koff
Saluting the fallen: Members of the Guilderland and Westmere fire departments stand along Western Avenue at Foundry Road to salute the runners as members of the American Legion Post 977 walk onto Western Avenue to take the flags from the runners for a brief ceremony for six fallen Guilderland heroes.
The Enterprise — Michael Koff
Solemn moment: Harold G. Greene Sr. looks at an Honor and Remember plaque given by Bob Purzycki of the American Legion Post 977 on Sunday afternoon alongside Western Avenue in Guilderland before the runners from Run for the Fallen held a brief ceremony.