The American Legion and the V.I. Office of Veteran Affairs will host activities throughout the territory to honor veterans on Memorial Day.
"Our mission this year is quite clear," said Legion District Cmdr. Charles David. "That is to honor and remember all veterans who gave their lives in the service of our country, and to recognize and thank all veterans, past and present, who have served our country in the Armed Forces of the United States; the National Guard; the Reserves; and our allies; and have thereby kept us free."
The schedule of events include:
Sunday
Members of American Legion Post 10 will place flags on all veterans’ graves in the cemeteries in the Virgin Islands and attend church services at a church of their choice.
5 p.m. – The Legion, in conjunction with the Virgin Islands National Guard 73rd Army Band, will perform a pre-Memorial Day concert at the Vern Richards Veterans Park in Frederiksted, St. Croix.
Monday
The Memorial Day ceremony will be hosted by the Enrique Romero Nieves American Legion Post No. 102 on St. Croix and by the Patrick U. George American Legion Post No. 90 on St. Thomas. The traditional observance at the cemetery has a long history and is scheduled as part of this year’s Memorial Day observance, according to the announcement from the legion. American Legion Post will decorate the graves of fallen comrades with flags.
The observance on St. Croix will begin at 9:30 a.m. at Bassin Triangle, Christiansted, where a parade will start and move on to the Christiansted Cemetery for a graveside service at the grave of Comrade Ralph Munchez Sr. The parade will then continue on to the Christiansted waterfront, where a seaside service will be conducted and honors rendered.
After the parade and graveside/seaside ceremony, a special honors ceremony will take place at the Christiansted bandstand. During the ceremony, Maj. Glenda Lee, human resources officer of the V.I. National Guard, will present the 2014 Memorial Day address.
On St. Thomas, the ceremony will begin at 9:30 a.m. at Western Cemetery No. 1 with a graveside service. The parade will then move down Main Street to the Emile White Memorial for a seaside ceremony.
The parade will then proceed to the Franklin D. Roosevelt Veterans Park for the official Memorial Day ceremony. Dr. Lee Carl Whitaker, medical director for the St. Thomas community Base Clinic, will present the keynote address.
Celebrations on St. John will include graves decoration and church service attendance.
Troops from the V.I. National Guard and Junior ROTC from all high schools will participate in the parade along with Boys Scouts and school bands. The theme of the parade is “Honor and Remember.”
The Legion and the Office of Veteran Affairs urged all Virgin Islands residents to fly the American flag on Memorial Day to express appreciation to all veterans and current members of the armed forces.
