Virginia Department of Veterans Services to host Memorial Day ceremonies at Virginia War Memorial and state veterans cemeteries on May 29

Memorial Day will be commemorated at four special ceremonies hosted by the Virginia Department of Veterans Services (DVS) on Monday, May 29, 2023. All of these events are free and the public is encouraged to attend.

In Richmond, the Commonwealth’s Memorial Day Ceremony will be held at 11 a.m. in the E. Bruce Heilman Amphitheater at the Virginia War Memorial, 621 South Belvidere Street, Richmond, Va. 23220.

This is the 67^th consecutive year that the Virginia War Memorial has hosted this annual official state tribute to all American service members who gave the ultimate sacrifice while serving in our Armed Forces from the Revolutionary War to today and to remember the family members they left behind.

Scheduled speakers at the Commonwealth’s Memorial Day Ceremony include Virginia Secretary of Veteran and Defense Affairs, the Honorable Craig Crenshaw and the Adjutant General of Virginia, Major General Timothy Williams. Virginia War Memorial Director Dr. Clay Mountcastle will serve as Master of Ceremonies and patriotic music will be provided the 29^th Division Band of the Virginia National Guard.

Veteran service organizations and other groups are invited to participate in the annual laying of wreaths in the Memorial’s Shrine of Memory-20^th Century. Prospective participants should contact the Virginia War Memorial for more details at 804-786-2060.

Members of the public attending the Commonwealth’s Memorial Day Ceremony are advised to arrive by 10:30 a.m. to be seated in the Heilman Amphitheater.  Free parking is available onsite and in the Afton Chemical Company surface lot at Belvidere and Spring Streets.

The Commonwealth’s Memorial Day Ceremony will also be broadcast live on CBS6 television in Richmond and livestreamed on Facebook. For more information and updates, please visit www.vawarmemorial.org or www.dvs.virginia.gov or telephone 804.786.2060.

Memorial Day Ceremonies will be held at Virginia’s three states veterans cemeteries.  Members of the public are encouraged to attend.

In Amelia at the Virginia Veterans Cemetery, the ceremony will begin at 10:00 a.m. The speaker will be Colonel Bobby Arnold (US Army, Retired). The cemetery is located at 10300 Pridesville Road, Amelia Court House, VA 23002.

In Dublin at the Southwest Virginia Veterans Cemetery, the ceremony will begin at 11:00 a.m.  The speaker will be former Chief Master Sergeant of the US Air Force, Rodney McKinley (US Air Force, Retired). The cemetery address is 5550 Bagging Mill Road, Dublin, VA 24084.

In Suffolk at the Albert G. Horton, Jr. Memorial Veterans Cemetery, the ceremony will begin at 10 a.m.  The speaker will be Major General Jerry F. Prochaska, U.S. Army, Deputy Director for the Joint Force Development and Design Center, J-7, Joint Staff, Suffolk. The address of the cemetery is 5310 Milners Road, Suffolk, VA 22334.

Prior to each cemetery ceremony, volunteers will place American flags on all gravesites. For the latest information on all of these ceremonies, please visit www.dvs.virginia.gov.

About the Virginia Department of Veterans Services
The Virginia Department of Veterans Services (DVS) is a state government agency with more than 40 locations across the Commonwealth of Virginia.  DVS traces its history to 1928 and the establishment of the Virginia War Service Bureau to assist Virginia’s World War I veterans.  Today, DVS 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 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.

The Virginia War Memorial is a division of the Virginia Department of Veterans Services (DVS) 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 and is open Monday-Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from 12 noon to 4 p.m.  Admission is free, except for select events.  For more information, please visit www.vawarmemorial.org.

About Virginia’s State Veterans Cemeteries
The Virginia Department of Veterans Services (DVS) operates state veterans cemeteries in Amelia, Dublin, and Suffolk, which provide a final resting place for Veterans, Guardsmen, Reservists, Military Service members who died while serving on active duty, and their eligible dependents.  The Virginia Veterans Cemetery is located in Amelia, the Southwest Virginia Veterans Cemetery in Dublin, and the Albert G. Horton, Jr. Memorial Veterans Cemetery in Suffolk.  All cemeteries accommodate in-ground burial of casketed remains, in-ground inurnment of cremated remains, and above-ground inurnment of cremated remains in a columbarium niche.  For more information, please visit www.dvs.virginia.gov/cemeteries.