Fallen heroes honored at Jersey Shore

OCEAN CITY, N.J. (WPVI) -- After a little rain Saturday, folks have been enjoying their evening down the shore.

For one group, it was a chance to remember the true meaning of the holiday weekend.

Even in a drizzle, there was plenty to do on Saturday evening down the shore.

"We're gonna hit Preps Pizza and walk on the boards," Kristin Marano of Collegeville, Pennsylvania said.

But even as the drops fell, veterans groups, local law enforcement and other volunteers lined up in Wildwood for the annual Memorial Day parade.

"I fought the war in a monsoon seaso,n so this little bit of rain doesn't bother me," Vince DePrinzio of Vietnam Veterans of America said.

As the motorcycles and trucks made their way through town, the skies cleared.

The annual parade is organized by the local chapter of the Vietnam Veterans of America.

It ended with a vigil at the Vietnam Wall on Ocean Avenue, where a crowd was waiting.

The names of 25 veterans from Cape May County who died in Vietnam were read.

"We're having a great time, but there's a reason for the holiday and this is what it's really all about," Joe Saraco of Elkins Park, Pennsylvania said.

"We have a very fortunate life. And it's because of the sacrifice of these young men and women that did what they did so that we can have what we have," Laura Saraco of Elkins Park, Pennsylvania said.

Organizers say it only takes a few moments to appreciate the sacrifice, something that doesn't have to take away from a weekend of family fun.

"We expect them to be with their families and their friends and to have BBQ's, and to go on the boardwalk and the rest of that. That's what we want them to do. That's why a lot of the guys died - so we can keep the American traditions and lifestyles up," Bill Davenport of Vietnam Veterans of America said.

If you'd like to pay tribute this weekend, there are plenty of ceremonies happening down the shore on Monday.

There will be one in Veterans Park in Sea Isle at 10 a.m.

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