Scotia man, former submariner, honored for more than 30 years on Memorial Day parade committee
Scotia and Glenville residents are probably familiar with the annual Memorial Day parade, but they might not be as familiar with a man that’s been behind its planning for more than three decades.
The Glenville Town Board, during its Wednesday, May 18, meeting, honored Scotia resident Kurt von Maucher for his years of service on the village’s parade committee, which dates back to 1978. Councilman Sid Ramotar also announced that May 25 would be declared Kurt von Maucher Day throughout the town. Von Maucher also served as the committee’s chairman for 25 years until the current year’s parade. He decided to step aside as chairman because his wife’s health has declined after having a couple heart attacks and other problems. This year he was selected as Honorary Grand Marshall of the parade, but being recognized was something he said he never wanted.
I said I don’t want any recognition for anything I don’t care about getting recognized for everything, said von Maucher about being selected as Honorary Grand Marshall.
John Eaton, current committee chairman, said von Maucher was chosen this year due to his long involvement in the community and service to his country. From 1964 to 1967 von Maucher served in the Navy’s submarine service and was part of the Navy Reserve from 1979 to 1985. He’s also lived in Scotia since 1976 and is a retired crane and elevator mechanic for General Electric. Throughout the years he’s been involved in various community groups such as Boy Scouts and the American Legion.
`Based on his length of service to the community and to his country, he was chosen as Honorary Grand Marshall,` said Eaton. `He has been the go to guy. He has been the one that does all the invites for all the units. He put together all the thank you letters It is more than just standing up and looking pretty.`
Eaton said the parade is a `pretty huge undertaking,` which he now fully realizes as being head of the committee. Von Maucher said the planning beginnings typically in September for the following year’s parade.
`There is a lot of preplanning and stuff and trying to find out how you can get for a Grand Marshall,` said von Maucher. `We try to recognize somebody while they are still around We try to recognize the local people that are active in the military.`
The Grand Marshall for the parade this year is Master Sgt. Corine Lombardo of the Army National Guard. Lombardo has served for over 30 years and has been deployed on various national emergency situations, said Eaton.
While there might be lively festivities for Memorial Day, von Maucher said it isn’t a celebration like the Fourth of July.
`Memorial day is not a celebration, it is a remembrance,` he said. `It is part of Americanism and part of patriotic observation and a ‘thank you’ for people that gave their lives to keep our country free.`
Eaton echoed von Maucher’s sediment sentiment about the holiday and said the parade is just to get people to the event.
`There is nothing happy about a memorial day, you are remembering those that died, other than the fact that you knew them and you didn’t have to pay that price,` said Eaton. `It is for those that are left to know that they didn’t die in vein and their death wasn’t worthless and they died for something.`
The parade also helps the youth remember and respect the sacrifices made by veterans, said von Maucher.
`A lot of it is to keep it in the minds of the younger people. The sacrifices made by veterans and their families to keep us free,` he said. `They see it on TV about us being in Afghanistan forever, but you got to keep it in their minds and educate the younger people of what has been done to save their freedom and democracy in the United States.`
He said schools sometimes place too little focus on past historical events, such as World War II, Vietnam War and Operation Desert Storm. With WWII and Korean War veterans dying, he said, the youth will have to carry on the tradition moving forward.
`You want the younger people to carry on the traditions of the holiday and remember why it is a holiday,` he said. `A lot of it is the education of the younger people ` what has been sacrificed for their freedom.`
The village’s parade, which has run annually since 1928, is also starting to garner the attention of some younger volunteers. Over the last few years the committee has gained some younger blood to keep it going.
Funding still remains a concern for the committee, he said. The local veteran organizations have helped spur donations when the funding runs short.
`We do everything we can to have the best parade we can for the least amount of money,` he said. `It has kind of been a struggle the last few years to get the funding. Scotia has never given us a problem once so ever.`
The cash spent of the parade ranges from $6,000 to $7,000, said von Maucher, which goes towards a slew of needs. Also, sometimes additional funding is needed for special groups or bands.
`If you had an opportunity to get a special group in you try to scrape the money together so you can have something other than the bands that have been in it the last 10 years,` he said. `We always got our eyes open for new things to get in the parade.`
One thing he hoped to have in the parade again were Clydesdales, which were in the parade in the early 80’s, he said.
`I wish we could get the Clydesdales back again. We had them one year and we have been trying for years to get them back,` he said. `That was about the most special thing we have had those horses are just absolutely gorgeous.`
Every year he said he’d invite the President of the United States to come and about half the time he received a signed letter of response from the President or their secretary.
`It only costs you a stamp to send it out and if he comes it is a big thing,` he said. `If you don’t ask, for sure it will never happen.`
Service memories and reflections
Von Maucher reflected fondly on his service in the Navy aboard a submarine.
`There were a lot of good times,` he said. `It is like a big family, you don’t have a choice. You have 127 guys on a submarine and they are out at 60 to 70 days on a rip. Everybody depends on everybody and everybody knows it.`
Memories on a missile submarine seemed still vivid to him today, as he remembered Russian attack submarines chasing the crew.
`You got the crazy Russians chasing you and stuff like that which is kind of interesting and scary,` he said. `You put your hand on the submarine and you could feel on the hull of the submarine the sonar (from Russian ships).`
Once your position was found, he said, the Russian’s would notify their attack submarine to pursue the target.
Another fond memory was his experience in the Navy Construction Battalion 12, which he said was the first one in active duty. While a third of the time was spent on various construction projects, other parts of time were spent weapon testing.
`Weapons are always a blast, everybody likes shooting stuff and blowing stuff up,` he said.
“
