The heavy rains didn’t stop the annual Memorial Day ceremony at Michael J. Crescenz Medal of Honor Rising Sun VFW Post 2819.
Joe Crescenz represented his brother, a Cardinal Dougherty graduate who was the only Philadelphian to earn the Medal of Honor for his heroics in Vietnam.
Leilani Dinh, a 7-year-old student at Commonwealth Charter Academy who was wearing fatigues, got things underway with a rousing rendition of God Bless America. The event also included the Pledge of Allegiance and a performance of the national anthem by Luke Jardel and Michael Molloy.
The guest speaker was Chris Kunkel, a Marine Corps veteran, author and host of the Project Chaos podcast.
The lawn was covered with hundreds of crosses and American flags in memory of Post 2819 members who have died. ••