Every year people honor or remember loved ones during Armed Forces Day at the New York State Fair. Bricks inscribed with the names of service members, both living and deceased, are on display at the Veteran’s Memorial in front of the Horticulture Building. Scott Zirbel came from Auburn to honor his father Lloyd Zirbel who served as a Military Police Officer during World War Two.
“He never really talked a lot about it. We had a lot of pictures that we saw. He wasn’t in actual combat, but he was near the front lines and saw troops returning from the front lines all the time.”
Zirbel says he still holds onto his father’s army uniform that had been handed down to a grandson. Veteran Ed Cooper says he served for 27 years including three tours of duty in Korea and two in Germany. He returns to the memorial to get in touch with the comaraderie he felt while in the service.
“Actually try to relive some of the past; look at some of the names I know here. Mine’s here, friends of mine are here, my dad’s on the (memorial). It’s just, run into old guys that were in the service, Army, Navy, Air Force, marines, it doesn’t make any difference. A soldier’s a soldier.”
One man shared that he and his wife were attempting to locate her father’s memorial brick. They shared some of the former soldier’s story…he helped liberate some prisoners from concentration camps. Another woman we spoke with says she visits each year and admires the memorial for its beauty.
