With flags waving and drums pounding, the 158th annual Kings County Memorial Day Parade stepped off Monday morning in Bay Ridge, drawing thousands to Third Avenue to honor Brooklyn’s fallen service members.
The parade, which began at 11 a.m. near the corner of Third Avenue and 78th Street, made its way toward John Paul Jones Park, where Veteran Service Organizations hosted a solemn flag-raising and wreath-laying ceremony. The commemoration concluded with a thunderous 21-gun salute performed by the Veteran Corps of Artillery.
Spectators lined the route, applauding veterans, marching bands, military vehicles and colorful floats as they passed. Clear skies and warm temperatures helped swell the turnout, with many families gathering curbside to take in what’s billed as the nation’s oldest Memorial Day parade.
“It was a wonderful day,” said Raymond Aalbue, executive director of the United Military Veterans of Kings County and chairman of the parade. “A couple of people said it was the biggest crowd we’ve ever had.”
This was the first year Aalbue, a veteran himself, rode in a vehicle along the parade route. Usually, he’s marching, but this year, he got “a different perspective.”
“You can really see both sides of the street, and people were waving and applauding the whole way,” he said. “It was really uplifting.”
Established in 1867, the Kings County Memorial Day Parade has honored generations of U.S. service members and the approximately 55,000 veterans who currently call Brooklyn home. It was first held just one year before the country’s first official Memorial Day observance in 1868, then known as Decoration Day.
The parade’s route has evolved over the years — originally running along Eastern Parkway, shifting to Prospect Park West in the 1980s, and settling in Bay Ridge more than 30 years ago. Despite financial struggles that nearly led to its cancellation in 2011, the community rallied to save the event. The following year, organizers established a nonprofit to support fundraising efforts and keep the tradition alive.
This year’s Grand Marshal was Major General Kris A. Belanger of the U.S. Army’s 99th Readiness Division. Deputy Grand Marshals included FDNY firefighter and U.S. Marine Corps veteran John Callaghan and the Merchants of Third Avenue. Women veterans were also honored as Honorary Grand Marshals.
Aalbue lauded this year’s slate of honorees, calling Belanger’s remarks after the parade “right on.”
A 1991 West Point graduate and native of Wantage, New Jersey, Belanger assumed her current role in August 2023 after serving as Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of the Army at the Pentagon. She holds a master’s degree in strategic studies from the U.S. Army War College and now resides in Greer, South Carolina.
“She has such a wealth of experience,” Aalbue said. “She was a great grand marshal for us.”
This year’s deputy grand marshals stood as a testament to where the parade has been — and where it’s going.
“I grew up in this neighborhood,” Aalbue said of Bay Ridge, “and ever since I was a kid, everybody in Bay Ridge — but especially the merchants and their families — have always embraced the military.”
And Aalbue hopes the New York Savages — a military nonprofit headed by Deputy Grand Marshal Callaghan — will help carry the torch for future Kings County Memorial Day Parades.
“He’s been supporting us for quite a few years,” Aalbue said, adding that the Savages — the lead veteran services organization of this year’s parade — work to unify past and present Marines.
“They’re a young group, and that’s what we’re looking for. We’re looking for young vets to take it over from us old guys,” Aalbue laughed. “Hopefully, this lights a spark for them.”
As the parade concluded at the base of the historic cannon at John Paul Jones Park, dozens took a moment of silence, remembering the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice.
On Tuesday morning, Aalbue said he and his committee are already setting their sights on next year’s march. In the meantime, their focus will remain on year-round advocacy for veterans — especially raising awareness about the ongoing crisis of veteran suicide.
This year, the committee displayed banners and handed out wristbands to highlight available resources and start conversations. For Aalbue and his team, the most important action is simply listening.
“Every 84 minutes, a veteran takes their own life — and our message is that one is too many,” Aalbue said. “We’re not just going to be the Kings County Memorial Day Parade. We want to be a voice, a presence, something that reminds people there’s help available.”
He also expressed gratitude to those who made this year’s parade possible.
“Thanks to all those who helped us with donations, especially the sponsors for our floats — Margo and John Catsimatidis, USAA, the South Brooklyn Lions Club, Catholic War Veterans, Kings County American Legion, and the United Bipartisan Coalition of New York,” Aalbue said. “The floats give many of our veterans who can’t march the opportunity to participate.”
