Since 2009, Pelham American Legion Post 50 has invited Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts to come serve breakfast to the U.S. service personnel who march in the Memorial Day parade.

On this Memorial Day, twenty U.S. sailors from the vessel U.S.S. Hue City were treated to breakfast. The sailors and Scouts got to know each other over the meal. Hospital corpsman Corey Chumaca even did a little basic training with the Scouts, showing them how important being fit and put together is in the military.

“It’s supposed to feel like they are sitting with their families,” said Post 50 Adjutant Joe Durnin.

The breakfast tradition originally started as a lunch by the Gazebo with the veterans in Pelham, and then evolved into a welcome breakfast for service personnel here for Fleet Week in New York City.

Durnin, who served in Vietnam, said the event was a way to express respect for the military. “They’re just ordinary people who have chosen to serve our country.”

“Pelham has always been very supportive as far as the military,” Durnin said.