New Brunswick Gathers to Honor the Fallen on Memorial Day

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ (May 30, 2026) - Retired U.S. Army Command Sgt. Maj. Ava L. Washington served as grand marshal for the City's annual Memorial Day observance on Monday, sharing harrowing reflections of combat survival in Afghanistan.

Inclement weather forced organizers to cancel the traditional parade across the Albany Street Bridge, shifting the ceremony inside the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center.

Addressing a crowd that included Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. (D-6th Dist.) and Mayor Jim Cahill, Washington detailed how her 28-year military career brought new meaning to the national anthem. She recalled finding distinct comfort in the nighttime fury of American battle guns keeping enemy forces at bay.

Washington, a New Brunswick native who once marched in the parade as a high school color guard captain, retired in October 2022. The event concluded solemnly as Washington and Mayor Cahill laid memorial wreaths at the Civil War monument in Monument Square Park to honor America's fallen service members.