NORWICH – City Police Chief Joseph Angelino opened his Memorial Day address by asking the few hundred gathered in the West Park to recognize former Norwich resident Ford Hitt, a World War II veteran and survivor of the Pearl Harbor attack.

“He is a true American treasure,” said Angelino, referring to Hitt, who now resides at the New York State Veterans’ Home in Oxford. “He deserves to be recognized.”

Along with Hitt and the living symbols of our veterans’ sacrifice, there are hundreds of thousands of servicemen and women who never came home from battle or have since passed away who also deserve recognition, master of ceremonies and past American Legion Commander Frank Revoir said.

“Their bodies sleep in eternal peace,” Revoir said. “Because of them, our nation lives.”

However, the true meaning of Memorial Day – the one day set aside to honor those who died for their country – has been lost on many, said Angelino, a combat veteran of both the Persian Gulf and Iraq wars.

“This holiday is not a holiday about picnics and getting a day off of work,” said Angelino, a Sgt. Major in the U.S. Marine Corps and Purple Heart recipient. “It’s a day to honor those we have lost.”