2020 Commonwealth’s Memorial Day Ceremony will be virtual broadcast/livestreamed event

The Virginia Department of Veterans Services (VDVS) today announced that the 2020 Commonwealth Memorial Day Ceremony will be presented as a “virtual” event to honor Virginia’s fallen heroes. The half-hour ceremony will be broadcast and livestreamed from the Virginia War Memorial Shrine of Memory beginning at 10 a.m. E.D.T. on Monday, May 25.  The ceremony will feature a combination of live and recorded content from the Virginia War Memorial and the state veterans cemeteries.

The public is invited and encouraged to tune into the live television broadcast on WTVR-TV CBS6 or to the livestream on Facebook.com/virginiaveteransservices or Facebook.com/virginiawarmemorial.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, public Memorial Day Ceremonies will not be held this year at the Virginia War Memorial in Richmond or at the state veterans cemeteries in Amelia, Dublin, and Suffolk. However, the grounds of the Virginia War Memorial and the state veterans cemeteries will be open to visitors, subject to the current COVID-19 social distance rules and guidelines. At the cemeteries, an American flag will be posted on all gravesites and the Avenue of Flags will line cemetery roadways from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Memorial Day.

The latest information on viewing the virtual Commonwealth’s Memorial Day Ceremony and visitation procedures at the Virginia War Memorial and at the state veterans cemeteries will be posted on the VDVS website: www.dvs.virginia.gov.

VDVS deeply regrets that it cannot hold public Memorial Day ceremonies this year to honor the thousands of heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice for our Commonwealth and our Nation.  This decision was made to conform to current state emergency orders to protect the health and well-being of veterans, families, participants, staff members, and others who normally attend these ceremonies. The pubic is invited and encouraged to participate in the virtual ceremony which will focus on honoring our Nation’s and our Commonwealth’s heroes who died in service.

About the Virginia Department of Veterans Services

The Virginia Department of Veterans Services (VDVS) is a state government agency with more than 40 locations across the Commonwealth of Virginia.  VDVS traces its history to 1928 and the establishment of the Virginia War Service Bureau to assist Virginia’s World War I veterans.  Today, VDVS assists veterans and their families in filing claims for federal veterans benefits; provides veterans and family members with linkages to services including behavioral healthcare, housing, employment, education and other programs. The agency operates two long-term care facilities offering in-patient skilled nursing care, Alzheimer’s/memory care, and short-term rehabilitation for veterans; and provides an honored final resting place for veterans and their families at three state veterans cemeteries. It also oversees the Virginia War Memorial, the Commonwealth’s tribute to Virginia’s men and women who gave the ultimate sacrifice from World War II to the present. For more information, please visit www.dvs.virginia.gov.

About the Virginia War Memorial

The mission of the Virginia War Memorial is to Honor Veterans, Preserve History, Educate Youth and Inspire Patriotism in All.  Dedicated in 1956, the Memorial includes the names of the nearly 12,000 Virginia heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice during World War II, Korea, Vietnam, the Persian Gulf and the Global War on Terrorism.  The Virginia War Memorial is a division of the Virginia Department of Veterans Services and serves as an integral part of its mission in support of all Virginians who have served in our military.  It is located at 621 South Belvidere Street, Richmond, Virginia 23220.

The Virginia War Memorial is and will always be the Commonwealth’s tribute to those who served and most especially, to those who died defending our freedoms.  Every day is truly Memorial Day at the Virginia War Memorial.  It is the hope of all that with the end of the COVID-19 pandemic and its restrictions, that the public will return to the Memorial to visit its Shrines, exhibits and view its documentary films that pass on the stories of service and sacrifice of Virginia’s heroes. For more information, please visit www.vawarmemorial.org.

About Virginia’s State Veterans Cemeteries

The mission of Virginia’s three state veterans cemeteries is to provide a dignified final resting place for veterans and eligible dependents.  The Cemetery Services division of VDVS operates and lovingly maintains the Albert G. Horton, Jr. Memorial Veterans Cemetery in Suffolk, the Virginia Veterans Cemetery in Amelia, and the Southwest Virginia Veterans Cemetery in Dublin.  The cemeteries are places of honor, dignity, respect, and remembrance.  The cemeteries accommodate in-ground burial of casketed remains, in-ground inurnment of cremated remains, and above-ground inurnment of cremated remains in a columbarium.  For more information, please visit www.dvs.virginia.gov/cemeteries.