Woodstock Memorial Day Parade
The Annual Woodstock American Legion Memorial Day Parade will be held at noon, Monday, May 28. Assembly will be at the Woodstock Playhouse parking lot. Units participating in the parade should begin arriving at 11 a.m. The parade kicks off and noon and proceeds up Mill Hill Road to Rock City Road and stops shortly at the Woodstock Cemetery.
After a brief ceremony, the parade will reform down Rock City Road to Tinker Street, continuing through the hamlet to its Neher Street end.
Anyone interested in participating in the parade must first be cleared by the American Legion Parade Coordinator. The Parade Coordinator will arrange the lineup and line march. All Parade participants are invited to the Post for refreshments at the conclusion of the Parade. To participate, or for more information, contact Parade Coordinator Kevin Berpent at 945-532-2775.
Ceremony Honoring Richard Quinn
A ceremony honoring the service of Richard Floyd Quinn, the only Woodstocker to lose his life during the Vietnam War, will take place at 2 p.m. Monday, May 28, Memorial Day, at the corner of Hillcrest Ave. and Neher St. where Woodstock will honor him by unveiling a new street sign in his name, as approved by the Town of Woodstock.
Not eager to take up arms, Quinn trained to become a medic. It was his belief that if he had to go to war he would at least try to save lives rather than take the lives of others. Deployed to Vietnam, Richard was assigned as a medic to Delta Company, 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division. During a firefight in Phuoc Long Province on July 12, 1970, Richard was motioned forward to help save another medic, Thomas Kloss, who had been hit by enemy fire. Placing himself between the gunfire and his fellow medic, he too came under fire. Both were killed. Richard’s body was found draped over the body of Kloss.
For his sacrifice, Quinn was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the nation’s second highest honor. The public is invited to join family and friends of Richard for the ceremony.