Memorial Day is the holiday set aside each year to honor and remember the American service members who made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our Nation. Memorial Day is also the day we join together to remember the families these heroes left behind. Memorial Day will be observed on Monday, May 25, 2026. The Virginia Department of Veterans Services (DVS) will host Memorial Day Ceremonies at the Virginia War Memorial in Richmond and at the state veterans cemeteries in Amelia, Dublin, and Suffolk. Citizens of all ages are invited and encouraged to attend and participate in one of these ceremonies. Admission and parking are free at all four locations listed below:
Richmond – Virginia War Memorial – Commonwealth’s Memorial Day Ceremony
In Richmond, the 70th annual Commonwealth’s Memorial Day ceremony will be held at 11 a.m. at the Virginia War Memorial, 621 South Belvidere Street, Richmond, Va. 23220. Scheduled speakers include Virginia’s Secretary of Veterans and Defense Affairs, the Honorable Timothy Williams, and the Adjutant General of Virginia, Major General James Ring. Virginia War Memorial Director Dr. Clay Mountcastle will serve as emcee and patriotic music will be provided by the 29th Infantry Division Fife and Drum. The 2026 recipients of the Memorial’s Marocchi Memorial Scholarships will also be announced and introduced. The Commonwealth’s Memorial Day Ceremony will be broadcast live on WTVR-TV CBS6.1 and CBS6.3 in Richmond and livestreamed on wtvr.com.
Veterans service organizations and other groups are invited to participate in the annual laying of wreaths in the Memorial’s Shrine of Memory-20th Century. Prospective participants should contact the Virginia War Memorial for more details at 804-786-2060.
Members of the public attending the Commonwealth’s Memorial Day Ceremony are advised to arrive by 10:30 a.m. to be seated. Free parking will be available onsite and in the Afton Chemical Company surface lot at Belvidere and Spring Streets. The interior of the Memorial will be open for visitation on Memorial Day from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more details, please visit www.vawarmemorial.org or www.dvs.virginia.gov.
Say Their Names Marathon
For the second consecutive year, the Virginia War Memorial will host the Say Their Names Marathon. Beginning at 12:45 p.m. on Sunday, May 24, volunteer speakers will read aloud the names of the nearly 12,000 Virginia heroes who died serving during World War II, Korea, Vietnam, the Persian Gulf War, Iraq, Afghanistan and today’s Global War on Terrorism. The marathon will continue until all the names are read and is expected to end around midnight that evening. Volunteers interested in serving as a name reader may register here. Preregistration is required and walk-up participants cannot be accommodated.
Amelia – Virginia Veterans Cemetery
In Amelia, at the Virginia Veterans Cemetery, 10300 Pridesville Road, Amelia Court House, Va. 23002, the annual Memorial Day Ceremony will begin at 10 a.m. Speakers include Virginia Deputy Secretary of Veterans and Defense Affairs Lesley Kipling and State Senator Luther Cifers, III, Senate District 10. Matt Brink will serve as emcee and patriotic music will be provided by the 29th Division Band. The chapel at the Virginia Veterans Cemetery at Amelia will be dedicated for Fireman First Class Andrew Schmitz of Richmond, who was killed at the attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941 and was laid to rest in the Amelia cemetery in 2020. Attendees should arrive by 9:30 a.m. for parking and to be seated.
Dublin – Southwest Virginia Veterans Cemetery
In Dublin, at the Southwest Virginia Veterans Cemetery, 5550 Bagging Plant Road, Dublin, Va. 24084, the annual Memorial Day Ceremony will begin at 11 a.m. Speakers include Major General William H. Seely, III, Commandant of the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets. Captain Gary Powers, United States Navy (Ret) will serve as emcee. Music will be provided by the Pulaski County High School Brass Quartet. Co-sponsors of the ceremony are the members of the Southwest Virginia Veterans Cemetery Volunteers. Attendees should arrive by 10:30 a.m. Shuttle service will be provided from Dublin Municipal Park.
Suffolk – Albert G. Horton, Jr. Memorial Veterans Cemetery
In Suffolk, at the Albert G. Horton, Jr. Memorial Veterans Cemetery, 5310 Milners Road, Suffolk, Va. 22334, the annual Memorial Day Ceremony will begin at 10 a.m. The scheduled speakers include Sloane Rose, Deputy Commissioner of the Virginia Department of Veterans Services and Colonel Jay Krail, USMC (Ret). The ceremony’s emcee will be Dave Buchy, Commander, American Legion Post 88, and music will be sung by Lily Morgan. Attendees should arrive by 9:30 a.m. for parking and seating. Limited free parking available onsite.
Prior to each of the cemetery ceremonies, volunteers will place miniature American flags on each gravesite.
For the latest information on the four DVS ceremonies, please visit www.dvs.virginia.gov.
About the Virginia Department of Veterans Services
The Virginia Department of Veterans Services (DVS) is a state government agency with more than 50 locations across the Commonwealth of Virginia. DVS traces its history to 1928 and the establishment of the Virginia War Service Bureau to assist Virginia’s World War I veterans. Today, DVS assists veterans and their families in filing claims for federal veterans benefits; provides veterans and family members with linkages to services including behavioral healthcare, housing, employment, education, and other programs. The agency operates four long-term care facilities offering in-patient skilled nursing care, memory care, and short-term rehabilitation for veterans; provides an honored final resting place for veterans and their families at three state veterans cemeteries; and operates the Virginia War Memorial, the Commonwealth’s tribute to Virginia’s men and women who gave the ultimate sacrifice from World War II to the present. For more information, please visit www.dvs.virginia.gov.
About the Virginia War Memorial
The mission of the Virginia War Memorial is to Honor Veterans, Preserve History, Educate Youth, and Inspire Patriotism in All. Dedicated in 1956, the Memorial includes the names of the nearly 12,000 Virginia heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice during World War II, Korea, Vietnam, the Persian Gulf, Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Global War on Terrorism. The Virginia War Memorial is and will always be the Commonwealth’s tribute to those who served and most especially, to those who died defending our freedoms.
The Virginia War Memorial is a division of the Virginia Department of Veterans Services (DVS) and serves as an integral part of its mission in support of all Virginians who have served in our military. It is located at 621 South Belvidere Street, Richmond, Virginia 23220 and is open Monday-Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday from 12 noon to 4 p.m. Admission is free, except for select events. For more information, please visit www.vawarmemorial.org.
About Virginia’s State Veterans Cemeteries
The Virginia Department of Veterans Services (DVS) operates state veterans cemeteries in Amelia, Dublin, and Suffolk, which provide a final resting place for Veterans, National Guard Members, Reservists, Military Service members who died while serving on active duty, and their eligible family members. The Virginia Veterans Cemetery is in Amelia, the Southwest Virginia Veterans Cemetery in Dublin, and the Albert G. Horton, Jr. Memorial Veterans Cemetery in Suffolk. All cemeteries accommodate in-ground burial of casketed remains, in-ground inurnment of cremated remains, and above-ground inurnment of cremated remains in a columbarium niche. For more information, please visit www.dvs.virginia.gov/veteran-cemeteries.
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