“And they who for their country die shall fill an honored grave, for glory lights the soldier’s tomb, and beauty weeps the brave.” — Joseph Rodman Drake
You can do a lot to honor our fallen service members this Memorial Day weekend.
You can visit their headstones at vet’s cemeteries and memorials around the country; place American flags or flowers there. Runs for charity will be taking place all over, as well as parades and concerts.
Observe a minute of silence at 15:00 (local time). Donate to veteran support groups.
If you’re looking to attend an event for the military community, here’s a list of some of the biggest upcoming Memorial Day events around the nation:
Anchorage, AK
- Anchorage Remembers: Memorial Day Ceremony — Delaney Park — Monday, May 27
Tucson Estates, AZ
- Memorial Day Parade, Ceremony and Indoor Concert — American Legion Post 102 and AMVETS 770 hosting at Tucson Estates — Monday, May 27 @ 8:00-13:00
Los Angeles & Palm Springs, CA
- Memorial Day Parade — Canoga Park, LA — Sunday, May 26 @ 22:00 – Monday, May 27 @ 21:59
- Memorial Day Flower Drop & Air Fair — Palm Springs Air Museum — Monday, May 27 — over 3,000 red and white carnations are dropped from a B-25 Mitchell bomber at 13:00
Pensacola, FL
- National Naval Aviation Museum — more than 150 restored aircraft (including the last combat F-14D Tomcat), flight simulators, and more
- Memorial Day Pensacola Beach Pride — Thursday, May 23 – Sunday, May 26
Honolulu, HI
- Lantern Floating Ceremony — Ala Moana Blvd — Monday, May 27 @ 0:00-23:59 — over 50,000 people participate each year on Memorial Day
Indianapolis, ID
- Indiana War Memorial Museum — open for Memorial and Veterans Day; check out the Shine Room on the upper level, dedicated to WWI heroes
Nantucket, MA
- Nantucket Memorial Day Parade — starting at Nantucket Legion Hall — Sunday, May 16 @ 13:00
New York City, NY
- Fleet Week — 10th Annual Veterans Appreciation Day & Memorial Tribute Events — Sunday, May 26 @ 11:00
- Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Memorial Day Observance — Monday, May 27 @ 10:00
- Intrepid Memorial Day Commemoration — Monday, May 27 @ 11:00
Columbus, OH
- National Veterans Memorial and Museum — free for vets, Gold Star families and active service members
Oklahoma City, OK
- 45th Division Museum’s Memorial Day Ceremony — Monday, May 27 @ 10:00 — a WWII anti-tank gun will be fired, and the museum holds an extensive weapons collection
Gettysburg, PA
- 152nd Gettysburg Memorial Day Parade & Ceremonies — Monday, May 27 @ 14:00
Charleston, SC
- Charleston Field of Honor — Marion Square — Monday, May 27 @ 10:00-16:00
Nashville, TN
- World War II Memorial — Bicentennial Capitol Mall
- The Hermitage — Andrew Jackson’s former home, 30 minutes outside of downtown
Richmond & Arlington, VA
- Memorial Day Weekend — Rocketts Landing Station — Saturday, May 25 – Monday, May 27
- National Memorial Day Observance — Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Arlington National Cemetery — Monday, May 27 @ 11:00
Seattle, WA
- Memorial Day Service of Remembrance — Maple Leaf Cemetery, Oak Harbor — Monday, May 27 @ 10:00-12:00 — presentations from the Oak Harbor High School chorus and Navy JROTC
- Flying Heritage & Combat Armor Museum — opens from Memorial Day to Labor Day — weaponry from around the world is displayed
Washington, D.C.
- Rolling Thunder Ceremony — Saturday, May 25 @ 12:00-13:00
- World War II Memorial — Monday, May 27 @ 9:00
- President Lincoln’s Cottage — Monday, May 27 @ 10:00
- Vietnam Veterans Memorial — Monday, May 27 @ 13:00
- NDW Wreath Laying Ceremony — Monday, May 27 @ 13:00-14:00
- National Memorial Day Parade — Monday, May 27 @ 14:00
- National Memorial Day Concert — West Lawn of U.S. Capitol — Sunday, May 26 @ 20:00
We leave you with this thought from Jennifer Granholm:
“Ceremonies are important. But our gratitude has to be more than visits to the troops, and once-a-year Memorial Day ceremonies. We honor the dead best by treating the living well.”
