VVA chapters and state councils nationwide sponsored and took part in myriad events on Memorial Day, Monday, May 27, evincing the true spirit of that national day: to honor the service and the memory of the men and women in uniform who have given their lives while in Service to America. Here is a sampling from around the country.

Northern Virginia Dean K. Phillips Memorial Chapter 227 held its annual Wreath Laying and Moment of Silence and Prayer at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., at 8:00 a.m. on Memorial Day. The chapter’s newest member, Mike Kelley, and its oldest, Tom Worrell, were given the honor of carrying and placing the wreath at The Wall’s apex. During the memorial service longtime chapter member Len Funk recited the famed World War I poem, “In Flanders Fields.”

Kent County, Delaware Chapter 850 held its Memorial Day ceremony at the county’s Levy Court building in Dover. Chapter member David Skocik, who heads the Delaware Veterans Coalition, emceed the event. It included remarks by Lt. Col. Crystal A. Glaster, deputy commander for Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations at Dover Air Force Base; Dover Mayor Robin R. Christiansen; and chapter president Joe Startt, Jr.

Glen Dunn/Michigan DAR

Western Massachusetts Chapter 111 hosted its 32nd annual candlelight ceremony on Sunday evening, May 26, at Vietnam Veterans Memorial Park in Chicopee to honor the 15 local servicemembers who lost their lives in the war. The Chicopee High School Air Force Junior ROTC provided the honor guard. The park contains 15 brick pillars honoring the men.

Topeka, Kansas, Chapter 604 held its Memorial Day commemoration at the Vietnam Veterans Bell Tower at Topeka Cemetery. The centerpiece of the ceremony was a solemn reading of the names of deceased chapter members, followed by a tolling of the bell and the placing of red roses on an altar. “Every name that we read today, that bell is going to ring for that individual in their memory,” said chapter president Blas Ortiz. “And I salute every one of them.” After the ceremony, chapter members moved on to Garfield City Park in North Topeka where they honored Vietnam War Medal of Honor recipient Danny J. Petersen, a Kansas native, at the park’s Vietnam War Memorial.

Photo courtesy Todd Wood

Morristown, Tennessee, Chapter 1073 has been working with local Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts since 2010 decorating veterans’ graves with small American flags at Hamblen Memorial Gardens for Memorial Day in Russellville. This year, chapter members and BSA Troop 91 did the honors, setting out some 3,000 flags on graves at the cemetery’s Veterans Field of Honor. “We try to do this every year around Memorial Day for those who have passed on,” said chapter Secretary Marvin Gilliam.

Schulenburg, Texas, Chapter 870, working with other local VSOs, hosted the city’s Memorial Day service at Wolters Park. Chapter members pitched in to put out more than 1,200 American flags on veterans’ graves in the city and surrounding area the week before Memorial Day. The Memorial Day commemoration included a reading of the names of 57 Schulenburg men who lost their lives in American wars going back to World War I, as well as Medal of Honor recipient Spec. 4 Carmel Vernon Harvey, Jr., who was killed in action in Vietnam on June 21, 1967, and whose niece lives in Schulenburg.

Moore County, North Carolina, Chapter 966 hosted its Memorial Day ceremonies at the Moore County Veterans Memorial in Carthage, N.C. The memorial contains the names of nearly 150 Moore County veterans who died in service since the U.S. entered World War I in April 1917. The Union Pines High School Navy JROTC Color Guard participated in the ceremonies. Chapter members earlier that week placed and replaced American flags and flowers on veterans’ graves at Seven Lakes Cemetery.

Courtesy Denver Chapter 1106

Concho Valley (Texas) Chapter 457 hosted Memorial Day ceremonies at the Concho Valley Vietnam Veterans Memorial at San Angelo Regional Airport, Mathis Field. The memorial, which the chapter built in 1997, features a Vietnam War UH-1H Huey helicopter. “We certainly want to be remembering veterans and their families that gave all” on Memorial Day, said Chapter 457 President Perry Stevens, “and remembering veterans who are still suffering from what they’ve gone through in any war.”

Rochester, New York, Chapter 20, held its annual Memorial Day commemoration at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial of Greater Rochester in the city’s Highland Park. The ceremonies included a reading of the names of 280 servicemembers from the Rochester area who lost their lives or remain missing in action during the Vietnam War. “All that any of us ask for is that we come together and do something for just an hour out of the day. To recognize it. Nothing more,” said Nick Stefanovic, the director of the local Monroe County Veteran Services who served in the Persian Gulf War.

Judy Kent/AVVA Chapter 1106

Medina County, Ohio, Chapter 385’s annual Memorial Day commemoration took place at the county’s Vietnam Veterans Memorial, where the ceremony has been held every year since the memorial was dedicated on Memorial Day 1990. It included a reading of the names of Medina County men who lost their lives in the Vietnam War, World Wars I and II, the Korean War, and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. “We need people to know,” said Chapter Vice President David Zelznak. “We need to honor those who have given their lives.”

Philadelphia’s Liberty Bell Chapter 266 Treasurer Bill Champion recently joined a Tour of Honor trip to Washington, D.C. While there, he placed a brass plaque at the apex of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. The plaque was part of Philadelphia’s Vietnam Veterans Memorial, but after that Wall was refurbished, “there was no place to put it,” said chapter member Chuck Bauer. So, the chapter decided to add it to the collection of artifacts that are archived after being placed at The Wall. “Chapter 266,” Bauer said, “will never forget the over 58,000 who gave their lives in Vietnam.”

Courtesy Bill Bridges

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