THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, May 26, 1996 TAG: 9605240181
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 08 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: STAFF REPORT
LENGTH: 38 lines
A five-hour citizens' vigil, ``A Day of Remembrance and Thankfulness,'' to honor all veterans of wars and current military personnel will be observed from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Memorial Day at the Tidewater Veterans Memorial on 19th Street.
The event, sponsored by the Mayor's Veterans Committee, will begin with a formal ceremony at noon with a 21 gun salute. Afterward, Mayor Meyera Oberndorf will introduce the keynote speaker, Congressman Owen B. Pickett.
The Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter 48, will continue to provide a 21 gun salute during each hour of the vigil. The group has performed the hourly salute for the citizens' vigil for seven years.
At 1 p.m., weather permitting, F-14s from Oceana Naval Air Station and a Coast Guard C-130 and HH60 helicopters from the Coast Guard Air Station in Elizabeth City, N.C., will perform a flyover.
The Atlantic Fleet Navy Band also will perform.
All citizens, including military personnel and their families, are invited to participate in the vigil. American flags will be given to participants to plant around the base of the memorial. The flags will remain in place for one week.
Veteran, fraternal and auxiliary groups will be encouraged to participate in placing wreaths in memory of veterans or in honor of current military members.
The Tidewater Veterans Memorial stands as a tribute to all veterans of war and military personnel. The memorial took six years to design and construct and was completed in 1988. The memorial is across from the Pavilion Convention Center with ample parking available. ILLUSTRATION: File photo by D. KEVIN ELLIOTT
American flags will be given to participants to plant around the
base of the memorial. The flags will remain in place for one week. by CNB