Waukesha is honoring those who made the ultimate sacrifice for the country this Memorial Day with a new tradition: a march.The change comes after organizers canceled the traditional parade in 2024. Instead of throwing candy and building floats, organizers of the Memorial Day March say they simply want people and organizations to walk with them in downtown Waukesha and reflect on what the day means. "A Memorial Day March. As we were talking about what to include in the parade, Memorial Day is not really a day of celebration. It is more of a solemn occasion," Paul Zinck, march organizer and senior vice commander of VFW Post 721, said.Watch: Waukesha vets replace traditional Memorial Day parade with a solemn march Waukesha vets replace traditional Memorial Day parade with a solemn marchTwo years ago, former organizer Pat Craney told TMJ4 it had become too difficult to host the parade because participating group members were having trouble taking part. Craney said the average age for the veterans group was between 75 and the mid-80s. "The veterans in the veterans groups are becoming older. They don't feel they have the physical ability to be in the parade, to march in the parade. Or carry flags, carry rifles that sort of thing," Craney said. Craney made the painful decision to cancel the parade, but hoped someone would be willing to step into the role and bring back the long-standing tradition to Waukesha.Retired Army Staff Sgt. Paul Zinck took up that role. Zinck said it was too late to get high school bands or do some of the more traditional parade activities, but ultimately, that is not the reason for the event. "Memorial Day is such a solemn day for us who served in the military to remember our comrades, brothers and sisters who also served and gave the ultimate sacrifice. So its just really important to be in the community and include the community," Zinck said.The VFW is still looking for people and organizations who want to join the march. If you are interested in volunteering or participating, you can contact the Memorial March Committee via email at [email protected] Memorial Day March will take place at 10 a.m., starting at the Dreyfus State Office parking lot at 141 NW Barstow St., and will end at the Waukesha Public Library at 321 Wisconsin Avenue.This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.Its about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for TMJ4 on your device.Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.Report a typo or error // Submit a news tip ...read more read less