Rain moved Bethel’s Memorial Day service indoors Monday, but it did not stop local veterans, officials and residents from gathering at the Kauneonga Lake Fire Department to honor the men and women who died in service to the country.

The ceremony, hosted by SGT Andrew Brucher-Bailey-Richman VFW Post 5499, is traditionally held at Veterans Park in the center of Kauneonga Lake. Because of the weather, chairs were set up inside the firehouse, where residents joined veterans and local officials for prayers, remarks and the playing of “Taps.”

VFW Chaplain Randy Peers opened the ceremony with a prayer and later closed the service before playing “Taps.” Bethel Supervisor Dan Sturm and Sullivan County Court Judge James R. Farrell addressed those in attendance.

Sturm, who said he has served as town supervisor for the past 20 years, said one of the things he has come to appreciate most about Bethel is the way the community shows up for one another.

“Every Memorial Day, we come together, not out of obligation, but out of respect for the men and women who gave their lives serving and for the families who carry that loss every day,” Sturm said.

Sturm said Memorial Day is not about politics or ceremony, but about people: “ordinary citizens who answered the call to serve and made the ultimate sacrifice so the rest of us could live in freedom and in peace.”

“In a small town like ours, service means something personal,” Sturm said. “These were not just names in history books. They were sons and daughters, husbands, wives, neighbors and our friends.”

He said gatherings like Bethel’s Memorial Day ceremony are especially important for younger generations.

“In today’s world, it is easy to move quickly and forget the meaning behind days like this,” Sturm said. “But gatherings like this matter. They remind us of who we are as a community and what we value.”

Sturm said the town helps support the local veterans’ observances, including through funds for flags and maintenance of Veterans Park.

“We’re proud of our veterans,” Sturm said after the ceremony. “We try to remember those that we lost, and we’re always going to do that.”

Farrell used his remarks to tell the story of Gunnery Sgt. John Basilone, a World War II Marine who received the Medal of Honor for his actions at Guadalcanal and later died at Iwo Jima after requesting to return to combat.

Basilone, Farrell said, could have remained in the United States after becoming a celebrated war hero. Instead, he chose to return to his fellow Marines.

“John Basilone could have remained home,” Farrell said. “He could have remained safe. He could have embraced his newfound celebrity. He could have stayed with his wife and family. Instead, he chose to fight for all of us at a cost of his own life.”

Farrell said Basilone represented “the very best that America has to offer,” adding that Americans owe him and all service members who died for the country “an eternal debt of gratitude.”

Farrell also spoke about the broader cost of military service throughout American history.

“It is our duty as parents and citizens of this great land to ensure that our children, our grandchildren, know that the cost of freedom is not free,” Farrell said.

He named several Sullivan County service members, including Sgt. Andrew Brucher, Sgt. Kenneth Von Ron, Pfc. Anthony Kaiser and Pfc. Jason Crowpath, and said Memorial Day is a time to remember all fallen soldiers who gave, in President Abraham Lincoln’s words, “the last full measure of devotion.”

“May God bless all of those who fall in defense of freedom,” Farrell said. “May God bless their families and bring them comfort, and may God always bless America.”

Howie Goldsmith of VFW Post 5499 said the post has sponsored Memorial Day and Veterans Day services in Kauneonga Lake since 1967.

Goldsmith said Memorial Day is often misunderstood.

“It’s not a day of shopping,” Goldsmith said. “It’s a day to remember all the fallen service members that have died for the country.”

He said Veterans Day honors all who served, while Memorial Day has a more specific purpose.

“Veterans Day is a celebration,” Goldsmith said. “They celebrate all veterans. Memorial Day is to remember those that gave their life in service to the country.”

Bob Blaise, a former Bethel town board member and Army veteran who served in Vietnam from 1968 to 1969, said the ceremony is about recognizing the freedom Americans enjoy because of those who served.

“It’s not about, even though the weather is terrible, hot dogs and all that kind of stuff,” Blaise said. “It’s about having our freedom that we enjoy every day because of these gentlemen and ladies.”

Beverly Garzon, who attended the ceremony with Burt Ledina and Dianne Salzberg, said she comes each year. Garzon said Memorial Day carries personal meaning because her husband is a Vietnam veteran.

“I’m married to a veteran that made it through Vietnam, so you come here to honor all those that didn’t make it,” Garzon said.

She said small-town ceremonies remain important because younger generations need to understand the meaning of the day.

“We can’t let our children forget,” Garzon said. “Nobody can forget.”

The service concluded with Peers playing “Taps.” Goldsmith thanked those who attended and thanked the Kauneonga Lake Fire Department for opening its building for the ceremony. Bethel seniors offered coffee and cake afterward.