On May 27, the Virgin Islands Office of Veterans Affairs and the American Legion will partner again to observe Memorial Day 2019. This collaboration will commemorate all veterans who have served the country and have since passed on and those who paid the ultimate sacrifice while serving the country.
There will be activities on all three islands in honor of those veterans. These are the dates, times and locations of this year’s events:
(Date…. Time) Commemoration Activity …. Start Point/ Location
(May 25 and 26 — All day) Placement of flags on veterans’ graves on St. Thomas, St. John and St. Croix
(May 26 at 2 p.m.) Graveside Ceremony (Glestan McIntosh) at Kingshill Cemetery, St. Croix
(May 26 at 3 p.m.) Memorial Day Ceremony at Cruz Bay, St. John (Frank Powell Park)
(May 27 at 9:30 a.m.) Memorial Day March at Frederiksted Post Office, St. Croix
(May 27 at 9:30 a.m.) Memorial Day March at Western Cemetery No. 1, Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas
On St. Croix, the procession will start at the Frederiksted Post Office Square and proceed to the Frederiksted Cemetery for the graveside ceremony. After the graveside ceremony, people will proceed to the Frederiksted waterfront (in front of the Verne I. Richards Park) for the seaside service. The Official Commemoration Ceremony will be held on the platform directly adjacent to the Verne I. Richards Veterans Memorial Park on Strand Street, Frederiksted, immediately after. The keynote speaker will be Lt. Col. (Retired) Beresford Edwards.
On St. Thomas, the event will begin with a graveside ceremony at Western Cemetery No. 1. A procession will follow starting from Western Cemetery No. 1 via Kronprindsens Gade, making a right before the Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church, proceeding to the Emil White bust on the waterfront for the seaside ceremony, then on to Franklin D. Roosevelt Veterans Park via Main Street. The official ceremony will be held at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Veterans Park immediately after. The keynote speaker will be Deborah Henneman-Smith.
On St. John, there will be no march. The official ceremony will take place at the Frank Powell Park starting at 3:30 p.m. Sunday, May 26.
For more information, call 774-8387 or 773-8387 (VETS).
