Earlier this month, on Armed Forces Day, America honored those serving in the military. On Memorial Day, observed on the last Monday of May, the United States honors and mourns the military personnel who died while serving in the U.S. Armed Forces.
Memorial Day is a time when many people visit cemeteries to place wreaths, treasured souvenirs, and an American flag on graves. This year, the Department of Veteran Affairs’ National Cemetery Administration announced that, by necessity, observances across the country will be different.
“While the department can’t hold large public ceremonies, VA will still honor Veterans and service members with the solemn dignity and respect they have earned through their service and sacrifice,” said VA Secretary Robert Wilkie in the statement.
Secretary Wilkie will preside over the wreath laying at Quantico National Cemetery in Virginia. Acting Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs Pamela Powers will do the same at Culpeper National Cemetery in Virginia. Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs Randy Reeves will lay a wreath at Riverside National Cemetery in California Friday, May 22, and at Calverton National Cemetery in New York on Memorial Day.
Each VA national cemetery will conduct a brief wreath-laying ceremony, accompanied by a moment of silence and the playing of Taps. In keeping with CDC guidelines to limit large gatherings, the ceremonies will not be open to the public.
Instead, live streaming and photographs from ceremonies will be shared on the National Cemetery Administration’s Facebook and Twitter pages.
VA will also be launching a new way for the public to pay tributes to Veterans at the Veterans Legacy Memorial. The site, originally launched in 2019, contains a memorial page for each Veteran and service member interred in a VA national cemetery.
Starting Thursday, May 14, VLM will permit online visitors to leave a comment of tribute on a Veteran’s page, introducing a new way to observe Memorial Day. The tribute allows visitors to voice memories and appreciation for a Veteran’s service. All comments will be reviewed for appropriateness prior to being posted.
Other public events typically associated with Memorial Day at national cemeteries, including group placement of flags at gravesites, will not take place. However, all VA national cemeteries will be open Memorial Day weekend from dawn to dusk for public visitation. Families may continue the tradition of placing flowers and small American flags at their Veteran’s gravesite.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been tasked with…
Brown and Caldwell, a leading environmental engineering and construction firm,…
Humboldt State University, one of four campuses within the California…
