OMSI Hosts Memorial Day Ceremony Honoring Veterans

Portland Fireboats to Perform Water Spray Salute.

The USS Blueback is on display at OMSI Photo courtesy: Wikipedia

(PORTLAND, Ore.) - OMSI will be holding its annual Memorial Day ceremony to commemorate those who served on the USS Blueback and other local veterans on Monday, May 28th at 1:00 PM in the courtyard behind OMSI. The event is open and free to the public.

The Memorial Day ceremony will include bagpipers and a color guard, tolling of the bells for lost boats, placing of the wreath, and retirement of the colors. The grand finale will be a water spray salute by a Portland fireboat. Members of the U.S. Submarine Veterans Inc. and the U.S. Submarine Veterans of W.W. II will attend. Navy in-shore patrol boat unit 13 will also be on display.

Captain Kenneth Dale Walker, U.S. Navy, will be the keynote speaker. Captain Walker took command of USS Scranton (SSN 756) in late 1996 in Norfolk, Va. During his tour the ship made the first ever six-month deployment to the Northern Atlantic and received numerous awards including the Submarine Squadron SIX Battle Efficiency Award for the top ship in the Squadron for 1998. From 2003 to 2005 he served as Commanding Officer of the Naval Submarine Training Center Pacific and Training Support Department Hawaii. He is currently the Chief of Staff for the Commander, Submarine Group NINE in Bangor, Wash.

Captain Walker's decorations include the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, three Meritorious Service Medals, five Navy Commendation Medals, the Navy Achievement Medal and numerous unit awards.

About the USS Blueback

The USS Blueback (SS 581) is the most modern submarine on display in the United States and one of only three such exhibits on the West Coast. Approximately 72,000 people tour the Blueback each year. The 219-foot Blueback is the last non-nuclear submarine built by the U.S. Navy. She was active in the Submarine Force of the Pacific Fleet from 1961 until her decommission in 1990. After negotiations with the U.S. Navy led by Senator Mark O. Hatfield, OMSI received formal possession of the Blueback in February 2004. After retrofitting the sub, OMSI opened it to the public in May 2004.