Memorial Day Ceremony A Highlight Of Alexandria's Memorial Day Weekend Events

ALEXANDRIA, VA — The upcoming Memorial Day weekend is a time to remember those lost serving in the U.S. military as well as enjoy the unofficial start of summer.

The Alexandria Memorial Day Ceremony is a highlight of the three-day Memorial Day Weekend. The ceremony will be held at 11 a.m. Monday, May 29 at the Rocky Versace Plaza/Alexandria Vietnam Veterans Memorial outside the Mount Vernon Rec Center, 2701 Commonwealth Avenue, Alexandria, VA.

The city and Friends of Rocky Versace host the annual Memorial Day Ceremony. The location is named for Versace, an Alexandria resident who famously sung "God Bless America" as a prisoner of war before being executed by the Viet Cong, was posthumously given the Medal of Honor.

This year, the ceremony will feature Gold Star Family members, Rocky Versace’s U.S. Military Academy 1959 classmates, fellow service members, high school friends and more. The program will feature the "Star-Spangled Banner," reading the names of the 68 Alexandrians killed during the Vietnam War, a wreath laying, sounding of "TAPS" and singing of "God Bless America."

Below are some other events and parades nearby.

• VA Memorial Day Ceremony at Alexandria National Cemetery: May 29
• Community Sing and Military Tribute in Alexandria: May 28
• Beyond the Battlefield: A Civil War Walking Tour of Alexandria: May 27
• National Memorial Day Concert Series in Washington, DC: May 26-29
• National Memorial Day Observance at Arlington National Cemetery: May 29
• National Memorial Day Parade in Washington, DC: May 29
• Falls Church Memorial Day Parade and Festival: May 27
• ViVa Vienna: May 29
• Rolling to Remember: May 28

Memorial Day Weekend is also the unofficial kickoff to summer in greater Alexandria. Below are more ways to spend the weekend:

• Visit City of Alexandria museums and Torpedo Factory Art Center (closures may apply on May 29)
• See a show at The Birchmere
• Old Town Pool and Warwick Pool in Alexandria open for season on May 27
• Great Waves Waterpark opens for the season on May 27
• Visit George Washington's Mount Vernon
• Our Special Harbor Spray Park in Franconia opens for season on May 27

The history of Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, dates back to 1868, when Gen. John A. Logan called for a day of remembrance to honor the Northern lives lost amid battle during the Civil War that had ended just a few years earlier, according to History.com. As time passed, more and more people called it Memorial Day, and it became a federal holiday in 1971.

Waterloo, New York, is considered the birthplace of Memorial Day. The town’s observance on May 5, 1866, predated Logan’s call for a day of remembrance. Local businesses closed and residents decorated the graves of fallen soldiers with flowers and flags.

Until World War I, the holiday honored only those soldiers who died while fighting for the Union in the War, as Southern states honored their war dead on a separate day. After the 116,000-plus American deaths in World War I, the tradition changed to remember all who have died while serving in the military.

Every year, a national moment of remembrance is held at 3 p.m. local time on Memorial Day. No matter where they are or what they’re doing, Americans are asked to pause for one minute in silence to remember military personnel who have given their lives in service to their country. According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, the midday time was chosen because it’s a time when many Americans will be enjoying their freedoms on a national holiday.