Oregon's Memorial Day Events Online Directory

ODVA’s annual Statewide Memorial Day Celebration will take place at 3:30 p.m., May 28th, at the Afghan-Iraqi Freedom Memorial in Salem.

2017 Statewide Memorial Day Celebration at Afghan-Iraqi Freedom Memorial in Salem.

(SALEM, Ore.) - Want to know what Memorial Day events are being held in your area of Oregon? You can start online with the directory of Memorial Day ceremonies, parades and other special events that the Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs maintains at www.oregondva.com/2018memorialday.

The directory includes an interactive map as well as detailed information about each event. If you don’t see your event listed, it’s not too late to share!

Please visit www.surveymonkey.com/r/eventsubmissions and complete the brief questionnaire. Contact the ODVA communications team with any questions at 503-373-2389.

ODVA’s annual Statewide Memorial Day Celebration will take place later in the day this year. The celebration kicks off at 3:30 p.m., May 28th, at the Afghan-Iraqi Freedom Memorial in Salem.

The memorial, which is dedicated to the men and women who died while serving in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, is located just north of ODVA’s offices at 700 Summer St. N.E.

ODVA Acting Director Mitch Sparks will open the program and a keynote address will be given by Vietnam veteran Tom Owen.

The program will include a color guard presentation by Western Oregon University’s Army ROTC cadets, the playing of “Taps,” the pledge of allegiance and a reading of the 142 names of the Oregonians killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, which are inscribed on a granite wall at the memorial.

Memorial Day is observed on the last Monday in May to commemorate the men and women who have died while in military service. This month, Memorial Day will be observed for the 150th time.

Originally known as Decoration Day, a time for the nation to decorate the graves of the war dead with flowers (first held three years after the end of the Civil War), the date of May 30 is believed to have been chosen because flowers would be in bloom across the country.

By the end of the 19th century, Memorial Day observances were being held across the nation.

In the year 2000, Congress passed and the president signed into law “The National Moment of Remembrance Act,” encouraging all Americans to pause at 3 p.m. local time on Memorial Day for a moment of silence to remember and honor those who died in service to our nation.

Source: http://oregondva.com