ST. CROIX — Lieutenant Governor Osbert Potter expressed dissatisfaction with the relatively small turnout during Monday’s Memorial Day commemoration event in Frederiksted.
The lieutenant governor weighed yesterday’s turnout to that of a theoretical “pre-j’ouvert morning” affair, contending that the latter event would be lined with participants and vendors.
“I know if this was a pre-j’ouvert morning celebration that all of us love to be a part of, the place would have been lined with people — you would even have vendors selling and it would just be a big party,” the lieutenant governor said. “I love a j’ouvert, you see me in it all the time. But I also recognize why a day like today is set aside, and I’m hoping that the people in this territory going forward would be able to get to seriously understand and recognize why this special day is set aside for us to remember.”
Mr. Potter said the territory’s youth should be more involved, and pitched the idea of offering additional credits to those who participate as an added incentive.
“We will let [Memorial Day] lose its luster and its significance if we as a community don’t do our share in making sure that even those who are close to us get to understand the true meaning of this. It is not just a three-day weekend where you can go to the beach. You can go to the beach, yes, but let’s start it off with something that is so critically important,” Mr. Potter said.
Mr. Potter, who spent most of his speech lamenting the poor turnout and calling for a much stronger presence in coming years, went on to thank the family members of service members who died while serving.
“Thank you so much for allowing your family members to serve and we appreciate what they have contributed for us being here today,” he said.
Tags: lieutenant governor osbert potter, memorial day
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