There are several events locally that folks can attend to honor the nation’s fallen heroes.

By Mary O’KEEFE

Memorial Day, the federal legal holiday, is the last Monday in May; this year it falls on May 27. Locally there are several events that honor the service men and women who died while serving in the military.

This day was originally called Decoration Day and was a time when flags and flowers were laid at the graves of soldiers. It was formalized by a Memorial Day Order on May 5, 1868 issued by Grand Army of the Republic Commander-in-Chief John A. Logan. At the time the Grand Army of the Republic was a powerful organization of Union veterans, according to the National Cemetery Administration.

However, in the decades that followed the formalization of the day was challenged by others who said they were the first to organize the day rather than the Grand Army of the Republic.

“The idea of strewing the Civil War graves of soldiers – Union and Confederate – can be traced to Columbus, Georgia, whose cemetery was in disarray. A Ladies Memorial Association formed to improve it, which included a media campaign. Secretary Mary Ann Williams’ letter was published, first in the local newspaper on March 11, advocating ‘to set apart a certain day to be observed … and be handed down through time as a religious custom of the country, to wreathe the graves of our martyred dead with flowers.’ Their chosen date was April 26, 1866,” according to the NCA.

Despite whoever takes the claim of being the “first” to officially recognize the day, at the heart of Memorial Day is the need to honor those who died while serving in the military. That tradition continues this year as communities across the U.S. take time to honor those fallen sailors and soldiers.

Not only is Memorial Day an important time to honor those fallen military members and their families but it is also an important time for the veterans who returned home.

        “When you are in a war zone, you don’t have a chance to grieve when you lose people,” veteran Mike Baldwin said in an earlier interview with CVW. “That is the one thing I noticed when I came home. It took a while to talk about it. When you’re home, you don’t want to think about it.”

Baldwin served during Vietnam and is a longtime member of American Legion Post 288.

In La Crescenta, American Legion Post 288 and Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 1614 will recognize the day at the Memorial Wall at Two Strike Park. This is the 10^th year since the completion of the Memorial Wall. It was a community effort that included the work of Lt. Col. Dave Worley, who at the time was a JROTC teacher/mentor at Crescenta Valley High School, the JROTC, Prom Plus Club, American Legion Post 288, VFW Post 1614, CV Chamber of Commerce, Jean Maluccio and many more local supporters who worked tirelessly to raise funds for the Wall.

This year’s Memorial Day ceremony will once again be held at the Memorial Wall, presented by American Legion Post 288, VFW Post 1614, LA County Parks Dept., CVHS JROTC and Boy Scout Troop 288. The event will begin at 8 a.m. with the presentation of colors. There will be a POW/MIA (prisoner of war/missing in action) table ceremony and the guest speaker is Lt. Col. Andrew Burghdorf, USAF. Two Strike Park is located at 5107 Rosemont Ave.

Montrose will also be holding a Memorial Day event sponsored by the Montrose-Verdugo City Chamber of Commerce and the Montrose Shopping Park Assn. The event will be held at the Vietnam War Memorial at the northwest corner of Ocean View Boulevard and Honolulu Avenue. The ceremony will include dignitaries from the state and the City of Glendale. It will begin at 7:30 a.m.

The City of Glendale will also host a ceremony on May 27. The event will be held at the City Hall Veterans Memorial, 613 E. Broadway, and will begin at 9:30 a.m. Glendale Police Deputy Chief Andrew Jenks will be acting as master of ceremonies and there will be the presentation of colors, music and a keynote speaker (yet to be confirmed).

In Burbank, Memorial Day will be recognized at the McCambridge Park War Memorial, at the corner of San Fernando Road and Amherst Drive. A pre-concert, featuring the Burbank Community Band, begins at 10:15 a.m. followed at 11 a.m. with the Ceremony of the Rose – Condor Squadron flyover sponsored by Cusumano Real Estate Group.

LA City 7^th District Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez will sponsor an event on May 26 for Memorial Day with a concert in the park from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. featuring 1^st Marine Division Band at Brand Park located at 15121 S. Brand Blvd. in Mission Hills. The event will include live entertainment and information on veteran resources.