Take a moment to honor genuine patriots
By Patte Smith; photo by Lynn Zahorik
Memorial Day is Monday, May 31. This is the day observed in remembrance of the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military. In 2020, the U.S. added The National Moment of Remembrance, asking all fellow citizens to pause at 3 p.m. local time for one minute to remember these courageous patriots who gave their lives for freedom.
On Memorial Day weekend, remembrance ceremonies are held in various locations. The popular 2021 Memorial Day Run & March 5K, 10K and 30K is on Saturday, May 29 in Colorado Springs. In prior years, it took place in Castle Rock, but because of the popularity and the increased size of the event, it had to be moved. This event is for civilians, veterans and uniformed military to take the challenge in friendly competition while helping feed homeless veterans.
This year, a virtual run and march is also taking place May 29 through May 31. Runners and walkers can participate anytime between these dates. For more information for the in-person and virtual races, visit https://www.memorialdaymarch.com/.
American Legion Post 1187 has two events scheduled on Monday, May 31 honoring fallen military. The Cedar Hill Cemetery ceremony at 880 East Wolfensberger Road in Castle Rock is at 9:30 a.m. and a ceremony at St. Philip in the Field Cemetery and Bear Cañon Cemetery at 398 North Perry Park Road in Sedalia is at 11 a.m.
On Memorial Day weekend, May 29 through May 31, the Colorado Freedom Memorial at Springhill Community Park at 756 Telluride Street in Aurora will offer self-guided tours and a flag display. For more information, visit https://coloradofreedommemorial.com/event/memorial-day-weekend/.
Fort Logan National Cemetery is open on Memorial Day weekend for families and friends to visit. Volunteers plan to place flowers at headstones in honor of military veterans who are buried at the cemetery. To request a flower be placed at a grave of a loved one, visit www.memorialdayflowers.org/flower-placement-program. For information about Fort Logan, visit https://www.cem.va.gov/cems/nchp/FtLogan.asp.
Did You Know?
At the close of the Civil War, freed slaves in Charleston honored fallen Union soldiers, making it one of the earliest known Memorial Day ceremonies. A remarkable discovery from a dusty Harvard University archive in the late 1990s, historians learned about the Memorial Day commemoration organized by the group of freed black slaves less than a month after the Confederacy surrendered in 1865.
