WARREN — They stood there. Elbows and arms resting casually against the rail. A full minute past before it was realized that the ceremony was over, having tossed flowers off the Main Street bridge in Warren. Still, the crowd continued to linger. Multi-generations leaned against that rail, analyzing the fate of their petals before extending their gaze to the beauty of the river as it flowed under the blue skies and 65-70 degree atmospheric temperatures. It was a welcomed pause within the day.

Earlier, at the monuments next to the Post Office, speaker Mike Reed reminded a modest crowd that Memorial Day is our chance to reflect upon and discuss the wars of our past and how those conflicts paved our nation. For the Warren community, the local scouts provided an event where people could do just that. Boy Scout and Cub Scout Troops 254 and Brownie Scouts 1534 attended, and Avery Bailey, from Girl Scout Troop 191 recited "From Flanders Field”. The scouts lowered and raised the American flag, and helped put the day into perspective.

“The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here,” said the Gettysburg Address (as recited by Troop 254 member Logan Bailey). “But, it can never forget what they did here.”

The Warren monuments hold the names of World War I, World War II, Vietnam and Korea. They continue further, having added the Persian Gulf as well (no death dates noted). Pre-ceremony conversations varied at today’s Memorial Day event, May 26, 2025, traipsing from Honor Flight Maine schedules to Agent Orange. And then in a major leap from traditional Memorial Day ceremonies, which reflect heavily on the Civil War origin of Memorial Day (at the time, Decoration Day), Reed stepped ahead.

“Today we honor the soldiers whose lives were given so that we might openly discuss the legitimacy of particular armed conflicts,” said Reed. “Not all of us would agree as to the legitimacy of all of the wars that we’ve been involved in. But those men and women died that we might even discuss that.”

He spoke of Jack, who grew up in Thomaston. He always wanted to be a soldier. He became a Marine, served his years, and came home. He then joined the Army. Eighteen and a half years ago, Jack lost his life in Afghanistan.

“Jack was always volunteering for the most dangerous assignments,” said Reed. “He didn’t shy away from conflict. He ran toward it. I appreciate that, and I wanted to share that story because it’s one of the reasons why we have the opportunity today to meet. It’s why we have the opportunity to talk, why we have the opportunity to not agree with one another. Freedom to talk about it."

Or, to simply pause for an extra moment and enjoy the beauty around us that we are privileged to experience.

Reach Sarah Thompson at news@penbaypilot.com