2021 Commonwealth’s Memorial Day Ceremony will again be virtual livestream event

The 2021 Commonwealth’s Memorial Day Ceremony will be held Monday, May 31, at 11 a.m. EDT, at the Virginia War Memorial in Richmond.

The hour-long ceremony, which has been held annually for the past 65 years at the Virginia War Memorial, is a tribute to all of the brave Americans who gave the ultimate sacrifice in service to our Nation from the Revolutionary War to today’s Global War on Terrorism.

The ceremony will be broadcast and livestreamed from the Memorial’s E. Bruce Heilman Amphitheater and Shrine of Memory-Global War on Terrorism and Beyond.  It will feature a combination of live speakers and pre-recorded content including a special message from Virginia Governor Ralph Northam, observances from each of Virginia’s state veterans cemeteries, tributes to Virginia Gold Star families, and music by 380^th Army Reserve Band Quintet.

The public is invited to tune in to the live broadcast of the Commonwealth’s Memorial Day Ceremony on WTVR-TV CBS6.1 and 6.3 in Richmond or to the livestream on Virginia Veterans Services Facebook, Virginia War Memorial Facebook, CBS 6 News Facebook, and WTKR3 Facebook.

The latest information regarding viewing the 2021 Commonwealth’s Memorial Day Ceremony on television or social media and visitation procedures at the Virginia War Memorial and at the state veterans cemeteries will be available and updated frequently on the VDVS website: dvs.virginia.gov.

While last year’s ceremony was 100% virtual, revised COVID-19 health and safety protocols scheduled to go into effect May 15 will permit some limited in-person attendance this year weather permitting.  Reservations are required and are available on a first-come first-served basis at vawarmemorial.org. All visitors to the Virginia War Memorial are asked to social distance and wear a facemask.

Upon completion of the ceremony, the interior portions of the Virginia War Memorial will be open until 4 p.m.  The grounds will be open until sunset.  Organizations who wish to place a wreath in the Shrine of Memory are invited to do so after 12:30 p.m.

While there will be no public Memorial Day ceremonies at Virginia’s three state veterans cemeteries this year, the Virginia Veterans Cemetery in Amelia, the Southwest Virginia Veterans Cemetery in Dublin, and the Albert G. Horton, Jr. Memorial Veterans Cemetery in Suffolk will be open for visitation from sunrise to sunset.  An American flag will be posted on all gravesites and an Avenue of Flags will line cemetery roadways from May 28 through Memorial Day.  Visitors are asked to social distance and wear a facemask.

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 operates 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 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.  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. 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.