Memorial Day ceremonies planned
Published 9:32 pm Friday, May 26, 2017
Several Memorial Day events will take place in Suffolk on Monday to honor the military men and women who died in service to our country.
Memorial Day, first observed in the aftermath of the Civil War, officially became a U.S. holiday by act of Congress in 1971.
The Albert G. Horton Jr. Memorial Veterans Cemetery in collaboration with American Legion Post 88 will have a ceremony beginning at 10 a.m. Following the service, the post will hold a Memorial Day monument dedication.
At the Horton ceremony, Gerald Soucheray, first vice commander of the American Legion Post 88, will be the master of ceremonies. The U.S. Coast GuardColor Guard will present the colors. “Taps” will be played, and wreaths will be placed.
U.S. Navy Commander Ronald J. Kish, 52, will be the guest speaker. He grew up in Illinois and enlisted in the Navy in 1986. In 1993, he was commissioned as a Navy Supply Corps officer. He currently serves as officer in charge of the Navy-operated Air Mobility Command, Air Terminal, Norfolk, the Navy’s largest aerial and cargo port providing joint and interagency logistics and sustainment supporting warfighters throughout the world. He has deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan, among other countries.
At Cedar Hill Cemetery near the intersection of North Main and Mahan streets, a ceremony will take place beginning at 11 a.m. conducted by American Legion Post 57.
Wreaths will be placed in memory of those who died in the Revolutionary War, Spanish American War, Civil War, World War I, World War II, Korean War and Vietnam War.
Special significance will be placed on World War I, as 2017 is the 100th anniversary of the United States’ entry into the conflict.
U.S. Air Force Col. Robert S. Thompson will be the guest speaker. Thompson is the Joint Staff J7 Cyberspace Environment Division Chief. He manages all aspects of the Joint Information Operations Range. A native of Pennsylvania, he enlisted in the Air Force in 1984 and was commissioned as an officer in 1994. He is the recipient of the Bronze Star Medal, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters and Joint Commendation Medal. His duty stations have included in Germany and Iraq.
Also Monday, Carver Memorial Cemetery, 2320 E. Washington St., will have a Memorial Day service from 9 a.m. to noon.