Memorial Day

Photos by Howard Owens.

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More photos after the jump (click the headline)

Photos, continued ... 

Today at the UMMC Jerome Center, the site of the Genesee County War Memorial, veterans and citizens honored all war dead from Genesee County.  

The names of county veterans who have died since the previous Memorial Day were read and a flag placed to honor each of them in front of the memorial.

Memorial services were carried out by Veness-Strollo Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #1602, Glenn S. Loomis American Legion Post #332, and Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter #193.

Photos by Steve Ognibene

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U.S. Air Force airmen stand guard as a Memorial Day vigil at the Soldiers and Sailors Monument, or the Upton Monument, this morning at Ellicott Street and Main in Batavia.

Press release:

Cub Scouts from Pack 6069 and Boy Scout Troop 6069 placed flags in front of the headstones of veterans at the Batavia Historical Cemetery on Thursday, May 26th.   The Troop has been working with the cemetery's historical society several years on this project.  It is a pleasure for the Scouts to provide this service to their community.  Pack 6069 Committee Chairman Brown made sure to take the Cub Scouts to the grave site of Samuel Wood who is buried there.   Sam Wood is the name sake of Iroquois Trail Council's Cub Scout Resident Camp located in Pike, NY.  Sam Wood was the first Eagle Scout recorded in Genesee County.  Boy Scout Troop 6069 is chartered through the 1st Presbyterian Church in Batavia, and Cub Scout Pack 6069 meets at Jackson Primary School.

For the first time since it opened, veterans, family members, and area residents gathered at the WNY National Cemetery in Pembroke to pay tribute to those who made the ultimate sacrifice on behalf of their country as part of Memorial Day Weekend.

Photos by Alecia Kaus/Video News Service.

Pearl Harbor Day: December 7, 1941

 A Date that will Live in Infamy

When this headline reached Genesee County, people worldwide, especially in the United States, were shocked! The Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. Morale was down, and Americans needed something or someone to lift their spirits. That someone would be Jimmy Doolittle and our very own Edward J. (Cichowski) York. Jimmy Doolittle planned a raid on the capital of Japan.   He trained for a B-25 Mitchell twin-engine light to take off from the Navy carrier, the USS Hornet. Eddie York was one of Doolittle's members of the raid on April 18, 1942.   Col. James B. Sweeney, in 1984, 43 years after the 30 seconds over Tokyo, interviewed Colonel York. Here is what he said.

"I was a Squadron Commander at that time. We gathered in a room with General Doolittle, shook hands, shut the door, and he said, 'Gentlemen, we're going to bomb Tokyo.' We thought it was a joke at first. However, he outlined the plan very briefly. He told us, roughly, his plan, his thinking. We would have about 30 days to modify the aircraft, train, and prepare for the raid. I'd like to mention one thing that I've overlooked. That is the tremendous secrecy that had to surround this whole mission. Because if the word got out to the wrong people, it would be a failure, and it would be fatal to the folks that were going on it."

Doolittle's raid was the first attack against the Japanese homeland in World War II. The Batavia Daily News headlines read,

BATAVIA FLYER HELPED IN AIR RAID ON JAPS

Captain E.J. York Ranks with Nation's No. 1

Heroes after Daring Flight. 

 May 20, 1942.

The sixteen B-25 Mitchell bombers dropped high explosive bombs on oil refineries, steelworks, factories, and electrical power plants. The raiders could bomb their targets but were running low on fuel after thirteen hours in the air. Eleven of the pilots told their crew to abandon the planes. Most of the crews were able to parachute without injury. One raider was killed in a hard landing, one crew member was captured, and a pilot and engineer were later executed. Four planes crash-landed and two crewmen died in one of the crashes.

The following headlines from The Daily News state:

TOKYO RAID STORY SAYS BATAVIAN HELD BY REDS

Major E. J. York is the Only One of 16 pilots making a

Safe LANDING

BOMBED JAP BAY AREA.

Drastic Change in Plans Made

Dangerous Misson of 1942 More Dramatic

Here is what Colonel York recalls about the bombing.

"We'd been trained to pull the airplane up to 1500 feet before dropping bombs because the concussion was apt to cause damage to the airplane. At the proper time, I pulled the thing up to 1500 feet, dropped the bomb and I immediately pushed back down and forgot about staying there until the bombs went off. So we were rocked a little bit but no damage. By this time, I'd made up my mind not to go to China but to go to Siberia because of technical difficulties. I knew we were fighting on the same side in the war. 'According to international law, you must be interned.' I thought to myself, 'Oh damn, we're going to be here two or three days.' Well, the interment took place and we were still there 14 months later, at which time we got out. Eventually, we got back to the United States."

By 1945 York and his wife, Mary Elizabeth and their children resided in San Antonio, Texas. His military life did not end in Texas. The next headline on July 14, 1945, read;

LIEUTENANT COLONEL YORK NAMED AIR ATTACHE AT WARSAW, POLAND; FLYING TO NEW POST NEXT MONTH.

For the next 18 months, Edward and his family resided in Warsaw, Poland. His ability to speak Polish and Russian helped troubled Poland set up a provisional government of national unity in Warsaw. In addition, his work won the recognition of the United States, Great Britain, and Russia.

He returned to the U.S. in 1947 and was assigned as commandant of the Air Force Officer Candidate School.  For the next 22 years, Colonel York had various assignments that took him to different countries and states. His military career spanned more than 30 years.

He served as air attaché to Denmark, serving as chief of the Air Force Section for the Military Assistance Advisory Group in Copenhagen, Denmark, chief of the Air Attaché Branch at Headquarters U.S. Air Force in the Pentagon, chief of staff for Headquarters Western Transport Air Force at Travis AFB, California, commander of an ICBM Site Activation Task Force at Larson AFB, Washington and chief of staff at Headquarters U.S. Air Force Security Service at Kelly AFB, Texas. He served as deputy commander at Headquarters U.S. Air Force Security Service from June 1966 until he retired from the Air Force on September 2, 1966. A military attaché is a military expert attached to a diplomatic mission (an attaché).     

Edward J. Cichowski was born on August 16, 1912, in Batavia, NY.  He was the son of Ignatius and Tekla Cichowski.  In 1905 his father, a Polish immigrant, arrived in the United States. Edward grew up at 101 Harvester Ave. He graduated from Batavia High School at fifteen in June 1928.   After high school, he joined the Army and later attended the United States Military Academy at West Point. He graduated in 1938 and immediately transferred to the Air Force and began flying at Randolph Field, TX. He was nicknamed York because he was from New York and it was probably easier to say than Cichowski.

On August 31, 1984, at the age of 72, retired Air Force Colonel York died in his home in San Antonio, Texas, of an apparent heart attack. He was buried at the Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery in San Antonio, Texas. He earned many decorations, including the Distinguished Flying Cross, Legion of Merit, the Chinese Army, Navy, and Air Corps Medal, and Class A, 1st Grade.            His Distinguished Flying Cross Citation reads: 


For extraordinary achievement while participating in a highly destructive raid on the Japanese mainland on April 18, 1942. Captain York volunteered for this mission, knowing that the chances of survival were extremely remote, and executed his part in it with great skill and daring. This achievement reflects high credit on Captain York and his military service.

The Veterans Services Office released the following schedule for Memorial Day events, May 29 and May 30:

SUNDAY, May 29, 2022: Western New York National Cemetery (WNYNC) 1254 Indian Falls Road, Corfu, NY

• The ceremony begins at 1400hrs.(2 p.m.) at the Main Flag Ceremonies site.

MONDAY, May 30, 2022
All ceremonies will include full military honors: Wreath Laying, Rifle Salute & Taps.

• 7:00 a.m. – Vietnam Veterans Memorial at Genesee County Park, sponsored by the Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 193.
• 8:00 a.m. – Williams Park (Batavia) W.W.I Memorial. This memorial honors the 35 Batavians who gave their lives in WORLD WAR I.
• 8:30 a.m. - Batavia VAMC, at the main flagpole, sponsored by the VAMC.
• 8:45 a.m. (approx.) - NYS Veterans Home, at the main flagpole, sponsored by the NYS Veterans Home.
• 9:30 a.m. – Veterans Plot on Harvester Ave. This memorial honors all war dead of all wars in Elmwood and St. Joseph’s Cemeteries.
• 10:00 a.m. - Upton Monument. This monument honors the dead of the Civil War, and all wars since.
• 10:30 a.m. – UMMC Jerome Center. This is the site of the Genesee County War Memorial, honoring all war dead from Genesee County. The names of county veterans who have died since the previous Memorial Day will be read and a flag placed to honor each of them in front of the memorial.

Memorial services will be carried out by Veness-Strollo Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #1602, Glenn S. Loomis American Legion Post #332, and Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter #193. 

Press Release:

The American Legion Post 576 Memorial Day Monday, May 30 Parade forms at 9:45 a.m. in the Legion parking lot. The parade starts at 10:30 a.m. and proceeds to Trigon Park.

Refreshments at the Legion after the ceremony. Hot dogs and soda

Photo: File photo by Rob Radley from 2917

File photo of a Memorial Day parade. Photo by Howard Owens.

City Councilman Bob Bialkowski, on behalf of the city, invites all community members, including groups, organizations and, especially, veterans to participate in this year's annual Memorial Day parade. 

"The city of Batavia is sponorsing the parade and looking forward to community support," he says. 

The parade is set to begin at 9:45 a.m. May 30 from Eastown Plaza moving west down Main Street to Bank Street, ending at the Alva Place parking lot. Any groups that would like to participate are asked to contact Bialkowski for planning purposes. He asks for everyone to "please keep the theme of respect to all our veterans and first responders."

Veterans can just show up at 9:15 a.m. May 30 at the Eastown Plaza parking lot on East Main Street, Bialkowski says. If any veteran needs a ride in the parade, or for more information, contact the councilman at (585) 409-3624.

"Let's show our support to our veterans and first responders," Bialkowski says. "Bring your lawn chairs and enjoy our annual parade. We will be handing out small American flags to the children."

 

This afternoon, Corfu held a Memorial Day Parade.

Photos by Philip Casper.

Elba Central School along with the Elba Betterment Committee held a Memorial Day Ceremony today at Maple Lawn Cemetery.

Photos by Debra Reilly.

Here are photos from the Memorial Day Ceremonies at the Veterans Hospital, the NYS Vets Home, the Upton Monument, and the War Memorial at Jerome Center.

Councilman Bob Bialkowski shared this Memorial Day photo of the front of his house. Bialkowski has organized today's Memorial Day Parade in Batavia, which starts in Eastown Plaza at 9:45 a.m.

Other events in the county today: 

• Alexander: Ceremony in the Alexander Village Cemetery at 11 a.m.
• Bergen: Ceremony at 9:30 a.m. in Hickory Park.
• Byron: Ceremony in the Byron Cemetery at 11 a.m.
• Corfu: Parade at noon from the Corfu Fire Hall to the Intermediate School. Ceremony to follow.
• Elba: Ceremony at Maple Lawn Cemetery at 10 a.m.  
• Le Roy: Parade at 10:30 a.m. starting at the American Legion Hall and ending at Trigon Park with a ceremony to follow.
• Memorial services at the VA Center at 8:30 a.m., the NYS Vets Home at 8:45 a.m., Harvester Avenue at 9:30 a.m., Upton Monument at 10 a.m., the War Memorial at Jerome Center at 10:30  a.m., Glenn S. Loomis Grave, Elmwood Cemetery, 11:30 a.m., Hanson Brothers Grave, Grandview, at noon.

The city’s Memorial Day parade coordinator is promising a couple of surprises for Monday morning’s march from Eastown Plaza to Bank Street.

“We’ve been getting a lot of responses now, including a call from the Batavia Muckdogs, who said they will surprise us with something,” City Council member Robert Bialkowski said today.

When asked if some of the players will be participating, he said, “That would be nice, and it would be a first.”

Bialkowski also said that Dan Di Laura, owner of Dan’s Tire & Auto Service Center, agreed to park his new recovery truck at the corner of Main and Bank and fly a huge American flag from the vehicle’s 50-foot boom.

Additionally, 400 U.S. flags will be given to children along the route, he said.

“We welcome our veterans to join us,” he said. “Some will be riding and some will be walking, but all of them will be in front – right behind the color guard – where they belong.”

The parade is scheduled to start at 9:45 a.m. from the plaza.

Previously, Bialkowski said that the Batavia High School band will perform and he was hoping that other musical groups would as well. Marchers will include law enforcement and fire personnel.

To contact Bialkowski, call (585) 409-3624.

Sure, serving in the Army during World War II was the patriotic thing to do, says Batavia resident Harry Boyer, but he's also humble about his service to his country.

"I figured I was one of the lucky ones who didn't have to carry a rifle," Boyer said. "I was in the Signal Corps. I just did what I was supposed to do."

At 101, Boyer is likely to be the oldest veteran taking part in the City of Batavia's Memorial Day Parade on Monday. He will be part of the veterans contingent marching and riding with the Batavia Lions Club.

Boyer served in the Army Signal Corps, first in Italy, and then after the war ended in Europe, he was shipped off to the Philippines, arriving there the Friday before the war in the Pacific ended. He then participated in the occupation of Japan until his service time ended.

He said there was nothing remarkable about his time in the Army, repeating, "I just did what I was told to do."

The parade starts at Eastown Plaza at 9:45 a.m. and will proceed down Main Street to Bank Street before wrapping up at Alva Place. The current forecast for Monday is partly cloudy and a high of 70 degrees.

Submitted photo.

Press release:

Assemblyman Steve Hawley, a member of the Assembly Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, is sounding off about a directive from Governor Andrew Cuomo through the Office of Government Services.

It would split half-staff flag dedications on Memorial Day weekend between essential workers who passed away during the COVID-19 pandemic and fallen veterans, as flags would be lowered to half-staff Sunday for essential workers, and Monday for veterans. 

A veteran himself, Hawley feels that while those who passed during the COVID-19 should be honored and remembered, it is incredibly disrespectful to service members who have passed and their families to diminish their remembrance in this way. 

“Honoring one group of people should never come at the cost of diminishing the honor of another, especially when we’re talking about people that fought and died so that we can live free and peaceful lives,” Hawley said.

“This directive, by the governor, was issued in incredibly poor taste, and is an insult to all of the New Yorkers who made the ultimate sacrifice for the liberty of our countrymen and people throughout the globe.

"To say this slighting of our nation’s fallen heroes is a disgrace would be an understatement, and I implore the governor to see that this directive is reversed immediately.”

The Batavia City Council is leaning toward the “let’s try it and if it doesn’t work out, we’ll end it” approach to an offer by Casella Waste Systems of New York to empty the trash receptacles at city parks and downtown at no charge.

Batavian Jeff Pero, Casella’s Batavia Division general manager, previously had reached out to City Manager Rachael Tabelski with the proposal that allows Casella crews to service the parks on a daily basis and downtown on a weekly basis in return for letting the company paint the receptacles (dark blue) and place a sign on them, stating “Serviced by Casella Waste.”

At tonight’s Conference Meeting at City Hall, the board agreed to move a resolution to enter into a contract with Casella to its June 14 Business Meeting for a formal vote. After a brief discussion on the matter, the consensus was to take the business up on its offer and if things don’t proceed as expected, it would use a clause in the pact to terminate it.

Council Member John Canale said he had three concerns with the plan.

“If we allow them to do this and we enter into this agreement … does that mean we’re not asking the citizens then to carry in and carry out? Does this cancel that out?” he asked.

Tabelski said the "carry in, carry out" policy will apply to use of the pavilions at the parks.

“So, when you use a pavilion on the weekends, we’re not doing rentals and we’re not approving overtime of DPW (Department of Public Works) staff or park staff,” she said. “However, we still have garbage cans in the parks around the playground areas and high use areas – which is what they would service.”

Canale that brought up the fact that Casella wants to label the trash cans with the “Serviced by Casella Waste” sign.

“I don’t have a big problem with that, I just don’t want to set a precedent that where other organizations may want to volunteer their services and put up some type of advertisement in the park as well … I don’t want our parks to become a billboard,” he said.

His final issue was what happens if things don’t go as planned.

“If we enter into this agreement and find out that it’s not what we thought it was, do we have a clause in there that we can cancel that agreement at any time?” he asked.

Tabelski said the contract could be cancelled without cause with a 60-day notice and immediately if either party defaulted in any manner.

Council members Rose Mary Christian and Patti Pacino shared that they have received calls from several residents who are against the idea due to poor service from Pero’s former business, Trash Away.

Council Member Paul Viele informed them that Casella is a separate company and that Pero works for the Rutland, Vt.-based enterprise.

“And I think it’s a great idea that they they’re picking it up for free. Thank you,” he said. “If it doesn’t work out, we’ll figure something out.”

Canale agreed to not judge the new company on the past, stating if a problem does arise, Council will address it.

Christian said that she is a Casella customer and said “they’re very reliable.”

Casella’s offer will mirror what is currently being done by DPW staff at the parks and downtown.

Following the meeting, Council President Eugene Jankowski Jr. said nothing has been finalized at this point.

“The process is still ongoing and there’s still now a two-week period of time for the public to weigh in,” he said. “It appears that the public has weighed in so far – and talking about the former company and the former concerns they had with the former company. This is not the same thing, It’s a different company now.”

He said that the impression he got from Council’s comments is that the new company should be given a chance.

“It’s not the same company that people are upset with. However, there still is time for the public to weigh in and if they have a concern, contact your Council member. We won’t be voting on it officially until next meeting.”

In other action, Council moved two other resolutions to the Business Meeting next month:

• Using $69,700 from the appropriated parking lot reserve fund to pave the Center Street lot ($50,000), Lions Park lot ($12,500) and Canale lot west of 240 Ellicott St. ($7,200).

“For the record, that (the Canale lot) has nothing to do with me. It’s the old Canale’s bar,” Canale said, drawing a laugh.

When asked if COVID-19 relief funds could be used for this project, Tabelski said it likely wouldn’t happen for this one – “We don’t have all the rules and regulations,” she noted – but said the might be able to appropriate some of that money for future paving projects.

Williams Park is on the city’s paving scheduled for 2022-23.

• Appointing five people to the City Audit Advisory Board through the end of the year. They are citizens Nicholas Harris, Marc Staley and Paul Battaglia, and Council members Bialkowski and Jankowski.

CALLING ALL PARADE PARTICIPANTS

Bialkowski issued a call for veterans groups and others to participate in next Monday’s Memorial Day Parade, which will start at 9:45 a.m. at the Eastown Plaza.

“We’ve sent out a lot of invitations but the RSVPs are very poor so far this year,” he said. “I’ve only got about a dozen back so far.”

He added that the Batavia High School band will be in the parade, with marchers including law enforcement and fire personnel. He said he believes there will be some pipers and is hoping for Mighty St. Joe’s Drum & Bugle Corps to take part as well.

“We have vehicles lined up for veterans who want to ride,” he said.

Bialkowski can be reached at (585) 409-3624 or at bbwski@yahoo.com.

Previously: City Council to consider Casella Waste System's offer to pick up trash from parks, downtown business district

Press release:

The Genesee County STOP-DWI coordinator announced today that Genesee County police agencies, including the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office, City of Batavia Police Department and the Village of Le Roy Police Department, will participate in special efforts to bring awareness to the dangers of impaired driving.

The statewide STOP-DWI High Visibility Engagement Campaign will start on Friday, May 28^th and will end on Tuesday, June 1st.

Memorial Day is one of the busiest travel holidays of the year and marks the official start of summer.

New York State Police, County Sheriffs, municipal law enforcement agencies and local STOP-DWI Programs will collaborate across the state and will be out in force in this coordinated effort to reduce the number of impaired driving-related injuries and deaths.

The STOP-DWI Memorial Day Weekend High Visibility Engagement Campaignis one of many statewide initiatives promoted by STOP-DWI NY and the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee.

The Statewide STOP-DWI High Visibility Engagement Campaign also targets the Fourth of July, Labor Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Holiday Season, Super Bowl weekend and St. Patrick’s Day.

Highly visible, highly publicized efforts like the STOP-DWI High Visibility Engagement Campaign aim to further reduce the incidence of drunk and impaired driving.

You can help to make a difference by Having a Sober Plan! Download our mobile app – “Have a Plan” and you will always be able to find a safe ride home -- www.stopdwi.org/mobileapp.

Impaired driving is completely preventable. All it takes is a little planning.