Local news- Press Release
South Kingstown Rhode Island - MEMORIAL DAY PARADE CEREMONY MAY 30TH 20 May 2022 ( news )
South Kingstown , state Rhode Island ( By Press Release office)
May 20,2022
| 176| 2
The
South Kingstown Memorial Day Parade
, sponsored by South Kingstown VFW – Washington County Post 916 , will be conducted on
Monday , May 30 , 2022 beginning at 10:00 a . m .
It will kick off on Holly Street in Wakefield , then turn south onto Main Street , and will conclude on High Street at Saugatucket Park . It will feature active and retired military men and women , Town leaders , community organizations , South Kingstown and Narragansett school marching bands and public safety agencies .
The Parade Committee is extremely pleased to bestow the honor of 2022 Parade Grand Marshals on Jeff Josefson and Ernie Cafolla .
Jeff Josefson enlisted in the United States Army In October of 1967 . He took Advanced Training ( A . I . T . ) at Fort Leonard Wood , Missouri , as a heavy equipment operator . In 1968 Jeff was assigned to the 20
th
Engineer Brigade , 36
th
Engineer Battalion , Company D at Vung Tau , Vietnam . Company D then moved to the Australian Base Camp at NUI - DAT to reconstruct and lengthen the runway to allow C - 130 aircraft to supply the base . Upon completion of the airfield at NUI - DAT , Jeff and his Company returned to Vung Tau to assist with moving the Battalion to Ving Long , in the Delta region . In March of 1969 Jeff returned to the States and was assigned to Fort Stewart , GA . Before returning home to Rhode Island Jeff earned the rank of Specialist E - 5 .
Ernie Cafolla is 96 years old . He was born in South Kingstown in 1926 and , until moving to the Rhode Island Veterans Home in Bristol four years ago , was a lifelong resident of South Kingstown . Ernie entered the United States Army at the end of World War II in 1945 , at the age of 18 years old . He served for two years and was stationed in the Philippines and Korea .
Following the parade , a brief memorial ceremony will be conducted at Saugatucket Park on High Street beginning at approximately 11:00 a . m . Colonel William Babcock , US Army Retired , will serve as Master of Ceremonies . The Bishop Wallace Hazard of the Community Church of God , will offer the invocation and benediction . There will be musical performances by The Wakefield Concert Band , and the South Kingstown High School Band . The program will culminate with a memorial wreath laying at the Saugatucket Veterans Monument , and a memorial wreath toss into the Saugatucket River , followed by an Honor Guard Gun Salute and Taps .
The community is invited and encouraged to attend the parade and ceremony . For public viewing purposes , there will be no parking on Main Street from 8 a . m . to 11 a . m .
Following the memorial ceremony , the public is invited to the Elks Lodge 1899 , 60 Belmont Street , Wakefield , for refreshments . For weather - related questions , visit the town of South Kingstown website at
www . southkingstownri . com
. In the event the parade is cancelled due to weather , the Memorial Ceremony will take place at the South Kingstown Recreation Center , 30 St . Dominic Road , at 11am .
PLAY the NEWS
* May be useful for visually impaired persons .
Press release information :
Direct link to press release:
Click here .
