"I would like to see more of the general public out there, though."
Robert Galbraith, then commander of VFW Post 414, said that after the 2022 parade. He was standing at Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Park, where the procession ends. According to the December 2022 issue of The Tide of Moriches & Manorville, the march drew "overwhelming community participation" that year, yet only a few hundred spectators lined East Main Street. Galbraith called the participant turnout "very, very good." The space along the curb was what he wanted filled.
The parade has had a lot of participants since its first year. On Sunday, Nov. 8, the Chamber of Commerce of the Moriches holds its 2026 Veterans Memorial Parade. It steps off at 2 p.m. from East Moriches School on Adelaide Avenue, runs rain or shine along Montauk Highway, and ends at Soldiers and Sailors Park with a memorial ceremony, according to the Chamber's event page. This year's grand marshal is Lee Sinnickson, a 78-year-old Vietnam combat veteran and a former president of the park where the parade ends.
A Young Parade Run by a Very Old Chamber
The Chamber is celebrating its 100th year in 2026, but this parade dates only to 2018. The Chamber's recap of that first parade called it the "First Annual Veterans Parade." It was held on Veterans Day itself, Sunday, Nov. 11, with classic cars and Army trucks moving along Main Street in East Moriches. The Chamber counted more than 500 marchers and more than 1,000 people watching. Afterward, the East Moriches Fire Department served snacks and refreshments.
The Tide called the 2022 parade the fourth annual. The Long Island Advance called the 2023 parade the fifth. In 2024, organizer Miriam Gillies told Trihamlet News it was the Chamber's sixth year of hosting it. By that count, Sunday's parade is the eighth.
Gillies described the setup work to Trihamlet News in plain terms. The Chamber sends letters asking groups to march, hangs posters around town, and invites elected officials by letter. In eight years, that routine has produced a parade with familiar parts every November. The one decision that changes each year, who leads it, is mostly made by veterans.
Veterans Choosing Veterans
Most grand marshals reached the front of the line because another veteran or a neighbor put their name forward.
| Year | Grand marshal | Service | How the name came forward |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Paul Haines | Military veteran, honored by the Chamber for service to the military and the community | Chamber's first grand marshal |
| 2021 | Cpl. Jean Littman | U.S. Marines, Korean War era | Chosen by the Chamber board from several nominees; its first female grand marshal |
| 2022 | Rev. Frederick Miller | Air Force medic, Korean War | Honored in a ceremony at the park |
| 2023 | Charles Wohr | Air Force, Cold War | Nominated by American Legion Post 1545 |
| 2024 | Pete Jepson | Veteran | Chosen by the Patriot Guard Riders and Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 11 |
| 2025 | Ina Casali | U.S. Navy WAVES, 1967 to 1970 | Nominated by Army veteran Sharran M. Chambers-Murphy of Military Women Support One Another Inc. |
| 2026 | Lee Sinnickson | U.S. Army, 1st Infantry Division, Vietnam | Name submitted by a longtime acquaintance |
The table shows the parade honoring a wide range of service. Littman joined the Marines during the Korean War era, when few women did, according to the Chamber's 2021 grand marshal announcement, which also says the board picked her from a field of nominees. Miller later worked with fellow veterans through the Arthur H. Clune American Legion Post 1533 in Mastic Beach, The Tide reported. Wohr's Cold War missions took him to South Korea, Libya and the South Pacific atolls where nuclear tests were conducted, according to the Long Island Advance.
Several honorees have also given the credit to others. When the Suffolk County News told Casali about her selection last year, her first question was "why me?" She went on: "I am not doing this for me; I am doing this for the women who have gone before me, the women serving now, and the women who will serve."
The Man Who Once Presided Over the Park
Sinnickson first said no. As he told The South Shore Press, his wife, Loretta, suggested submitting his name, and he turned the idea down. "I like being under the radar sometimes. I didn't want to overstep anybody else," he said. A longtime acquaintance sent in his name anyway.
He trained at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, and Fort Polk, Louisiana, in 1967. In 1968 he went to Vietnam for a 14-month tour with the 1st Infantry Division, operating out of Lai Khe. "I was in the infantry," he told the South Shore Press. "I was a combat soldier. That's how I describe myself." He came home as a specialist. His decorations include the Purple Heart, the Combat Infantryman Badge and the Army Commendation Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster.
After he came home, he went into the family business, Sinnickson's Moriches Funeral Home on Main Street in Center Moriches. He finished his funeral directing degree at Farmingdale College in 1971. His grandfather, a World War I veteran, founded the business. His father, a World War II veteran, joined it after his own service, and Sinnickson's daughter Keri is now the fourth generation. He joined the Center Moriches Fire Department at 18 and later served on its Board of Fire Commissioners. He is a lifetime member of Center Moriches VFW Post 414, Eastport American Legion Post 1545, Vietnam Veterans of America and the Society of the First Infantry Division. He has also served as president of the Moriches Lions Club, Moriches Bay Little League and East Moriches Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Park.
That makes Sunday's ending point familiar to him. The grand marshal will finish the route at the park he once led as president. In the South Shore Press interview, he said the honor belongs to others: "It's an honor, not only for me, but for all the men who served who didn't come home. It's recognition for everybody, the men who are unaccounted for, the POWs, not just Vietnam, but all wars."
Gillies told the paper he was "an excellent choice," and cited "his military service, his commitment to veterans and everything he has done for the Moriches Bay community."
What Happens When the Parade Reaches the Park
Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Park sits between Montauk Highway and East Main Street, according to Trihamlet News. In recent years the walk there has followed a set pattern. In 2024, participants lined up along Adelaide Avenue, in the East Moriches Elementary School parking lot and on the sidewalks at the intersection. The parade then moved east under an American flag held up by two fire trucks on Montauk Highway near the school.
Recent coverage gives a sense of who marches:
- 2023: local fire departments, the Coast Guard, the VFW Chapter 414 color guard, members of the 106th Rescue Wing and Women Veterans, the Center Moriches High School marching band, vintage car owners, scouts and elected officials, according to the Long Island Advance.
- 2024: an air patrol cadet squadron, the Knights of Columbus, Honor Flight Long Island, a motorcycle group, Chamber members and the Center Moriches High School Band, according to Trihamlet News.
- 2025: fire departments, scouting groups, civic and merchant groups, VFW 414 members, and county, state and town officials, according to the Suffolk County News.
At the park, the 2024 ceremony opened with a gun salute from the Center Moriches VFW. Jim Osborne served as master of ceremonies, and George Kreuscher spoke. Kreuscher had also sung the national anthem at the first parade in 2018. Rev. Dr. John Fleischmann of Christ Lutheran Church in East Moriches led a prayer. Past grand marshals were invited back, and near the end they joined Jepson in placing a wreath over a memorial plaque.
Each new grand marshal stands at the plaque with the ones who came before, so the group laying the wreath gets one person larger each year.
Neighbors have also cared for the park itself. At the 2022 parade, Miguel and Kathryn Rivera of Mastic noticed that the military branch flags over the park had worn. "We looked up and we said, 'Wow, the flags are kind of sad,'" Kathryn Rivera told The Tide. The couple donated six new branch flags. Kathryn donated four wreaths to match, and Dennis Hogan of East Moriches donated the other two.
Rain or Shine
The Chamber means it about the weather. The Suffolk County News described the 2025 parade as held "beneath a gun-metal sky and pelting rain." Brookhaven Town Supervisor Dan Panico held an umbrella over Casali while she gave her address at the park.
Veterans who want to march can still join. The Chamber asks participants to email [email protected] or visit moricheschamber.org, according to Trihamlet News. Last year the Chamber also said that veterans unable to walk the route could ride, with the Chamber driving them.
People who just want to watch only need to show up. Galbraith asked for that in 2022.
Other Dates on the Moriches Calendar
- Sunday, Nov. 8, 2 to 3:30 p.m.: the Division Street Band plays at the Center Moriches Free Public Library, 235 Main Street, at the same time as the parade.
- Monday, Nov. 9, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.: a free Catholic Health flu clinic at the library, with no appointment or insurance needed, according to its November/December newsletter.
- Nov. 13 to Dec. 18: the library collects new toys for the 7th Precinct and Brookhaven INTERFACE.
- Tuesday, Dec. 8, 6 to 9 p.m.: the Chamber's 100th-anniversary dinner at Rock Hill Country Club, $75 per person, with Roaring Twenties dress encouraged.
For more on how the Chamber's century has shaped Main Street, see our look at how slowly Center Moriches turns over. For the older streets near the parade route, read the story behind the East Moriches historic district.
The parade steps off from Adelaide Avenue at 2 p.m. this Sunday. If you are new to the area and want to learn more about the people and places that hold the Moriches together, Marina Putova would be glad to talk with you. Let's Connect.
