The Newtown Square community has a long history of honoring our military and remembering our servicemen and women who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. From marching down West Chester Pike on Memorial Day, wearing our red poppies to gathering in June for a National
Day of commemoration for our country’s flag, we pause to pay tribute to those who serve and protect.
The tradition of wearing or displaying red poppies to remember our military grew out of the famous poem “In Flanders Fields,” written during World War I by Canadian physician Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae. Below is the poem’s first verse.
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
The Marple Newtown Memorial Day Parade will take place on Memorial Day, Monday, May 26th at 10am. The parade route starts at the intersection of Malin Rd and West Chester Pike. Then, it travels eastbound on West Chester Pike to the American Legion Post 805.
In addition, if you would like to memorialize and celebrate the life and legacy of your veteran, DCVMA performs casket flag ceremonies at 5pm on the second Sunday of every month from April through November.
National Flag Day
National Flag Day is Saturday, June 14th. Though not a federal holiday, Flag Day is an annual observance for all living in the United States. Each year, the sitting President encourages all Americans to display the US flag outside their homes and businesses. In observance, the flag is flown from all public buildings, speeches are made in public places and ceremonies are held in towns or cities.
11th Annual Flag Day Ceremony
The Delaware County Veterans Memorial (DCVMA) will host their 11th Annual Flag Day Ceremony on Friday, June 13th at 10am. During the ceremony, they will announce their 2025 Freedom Medal Honorees, award a deserving Military Veteran the DCVMA President’s Award and hold a flag retirement ceremony. DCVMA President Joseph Daly, a US Marine Corps Veteran who served two tours of duty in Vietnam, hopes many of our friends and neighbors will come together for the event. “We will recognize six Freedom Medal Honorees,” he said. “We will also award two dedicated individuals with DCVMA President’s Awards – State Senators Tim Kearney and John Kane.”
If you have not visited the Delaware County Veterans Memorial site in Edgmont, your Newtown Square Friends & Neighbors encourage you to go and explore every feature:
Lest We Forget
A Symbol of Remembrance and Promise
The inscription “Lest We Forget” at the apex of the Memorial immortalizes our promise to all Veterans and their families that we will never forget. This is our sacred pledge and, with it, our never-ending gratitude.
The Hall of Prayers
A Symbol of Strength and Perseverance
The Hall of Prayers is an open-air chapel designed as a fallen tree with its roots firmly planted in American soil. The structure represents the
wounded warrior who will not fall or give up due to the support of their fellow troops and support from home. The interior of the Hall of Prayers contains 50 messages to Veterans from all 49 Delaware County Municipalities and the Delaware County Council.
The Memorial Fountain
A Symbol of Life and Peace
Central to the memorial is the fountain, which has flowing water that symbolizes eternal life and where we keep the memory of our Veterans alive. We honor them, and by our presence, we are restored. By the pool of still water, in moments of quiet reflection, the soul can find serenity and through that calmness a sense of renewed faith and peace.
The Eagle
A Symbol of Freedom and Strength
The focal point of the Fountain, an alabaster carved American Bald Eagle perched atop an engraved granite column rising from the fountain, symbolizes the founding of our country through the Revolutionary War and the Declaration of Independence.
The Statuary Circle
A Symbol of Unity and Inclusion
Located between the Memorial and the Hall of Prayers is a lifesize statue of The Battlefield Cross, a symbolic memorial marker erected on the battlefield or at the base camp for a soldier who has been killed. It is made up of the soldier’s rifle stuck into the ground or the soldier’s boots, with a helmet on top. It is dedicated to all who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms. A bronze statue of Wild Bill Guarnere, a wounded WWII soldier made famous through the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers, is also located in the circle. Wild Bill symbolizes the strength of all soldiers through
their courage to serve and their strength to continue.
The POW MIA Wall
A Symbol of Thanks, Courage and Remembrance
The gray granite “empty chair” monument is set in front of a black granite wall engraved with white lettering. The monument serves as a memorial to those who served our great Nation but have never returned and have been classified as Prisoners of War or Missing in Action.
Please join your fellow Newtown Square Friends & Neighbors in recognizing and celebrating our brave servicemen and women and their families by taking the time to attend these events. Let us honor them and their commitment and contributions in support of our military and our nation.