Fallon Veterans of Foreign Wars member Mike Terry participates in a previous Memorial Day ceremony at The Gardens east of Fallon.
LVN file
Communities stretching across Nevada will honor thousands of veterans who died in United States’ conflicts from the Civil War to recent wars in the Middle East.
Memorial Day at the Northern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Fernley begins at 11 a.m. on Monday. The event is free.
Guest speakers will include Gov. Joe Lombardo. The state’s 31st governor served in the U.S. Army and the Nevada Army National Guard, and he is also commander-in-chief of the Nevada National Guard.
The one-hour ceremony at the NNVMC also includes a rifle volley by the Nevada Veterans Coalition rife team, the playing of taps and “Amazing Grace” and the laying of a memorial wreath at the Prisoner of War monument. Although the original emphasis has been placed on remembering the men and women who died during their military service, Memorial Day also honors the veterans who served their county but have died since their discharge. More than 8,500 veterans are interred at NNVMC.
Volunteers are also needed for the flag-in Saturday at 8:30 a.m.
Memorial Day began on May 30, 1868, to commemorate Decoration Day, as it was first known, at Arlington National Cemetery. In 1971, Congress declared that this day as Memorial Day, a national holiday to be observed on the last Monday in May.
More than 8,500 veterans are interred at NNVMC. Schools, civic groups and community organizations are encouraged to help. NNVMC is located at 14 Veterans Way (exit 48 off Interstate 80).
On Memorial Day, ceremonies begin at 11 a.m. at the Churchill County Cemetery and followed at The Gardens at noon. From there, the ceremony moves to the Paiute-Shoshone Tribal Cemetery at 1 p.m.
Flag setup is Sunday at 8 a.m. at the Churchill County Cemetery. A breakfast follows at the VFW Post on Maine Street.