Memorial Day Events Scheduled Around Oregon

Originally known as Decoration Day, the holiday was later changed to Memorial Day and became a federal holiday in 1977 observed on the last Monday in May.

Each year on Memorial Day, Americans pay honor to all of those who have died while serving in the U. S. Armed Forces.

Memorial Day originated in 1868, when Union General John A. Logan designated a day in which graves of Civil War soldiers would be decorated.

Originally known as Decoration Day, the holiday was later changed to Memorial Day and became a federal holiday in 1977 observed on the last Monday in May.

In recognition of this rich history, the Oregon Department of Veterans’ Affairs is announcing the Memorial Day celebrations occurring throughout the state of which the Department has been made aware.

May 28th – 11:00 AM – American Legion Post 124 will host a ceremony at Beaverton Memorial Park on Watson Street. The Post 124 band will play. A flyover by the Oregon Air National Guard has been requested. Contact: Mary Doty, (503)644-0350

May 26th – 11:00 AM – American Legion Post 34 will host an “Always Vigilant” parade to begin downtown. The parade will honor Pearl Harbor Survivors who will serve as the Grand Marshals. The parade will include marching bands, veterans groups, and many community organizations.

1:00 PM – A rededication ceremony will take place at the Marshfield Pioneer Cemetery located at 10th and Ingersoll. Contact: Fred Clausen, (541) 759-2291

May 28th – 10:00 AM – American Legion Post 11 and VFW Post 640 will host a ceremony at Crystal Lake Cemetery on Crystal Lake Drive. Contact: Nicky Jones, (541) 753-4149

1:30 PM – American Legion Post 11 and VFW Post 640 will host a ceremony at Crystal Lake Cemetery on Crystal Lake Drive. Contact: Nicky Jones, (541) 753-4149

1:30 PM – The Corvallis Benton County Veterans Memorial Inc., located at 1100 N.W. Kings Blvd., will host a celebration. Major Gen. Raymond F. Rees, the Adjutant General, Oregon National Guard, will be the keynote speaker. The Oregon State University NROTC Honor Guard will pay special tribute to the parents of Jason Evey, who was killed-inaction in Iraq. Evey’s name will be added to the “Wall of Honor,” joining 118 names of those from Benton County who have been killed-in-action from World War I to the present. Four sequential Taps will be played honoring all fallen soldiers. The Daughters of the American Revolution will provide cake and punch in the National Guard Armory. Contact: Les Whittle, 541-752-3222

May 28th – 11:00 AM – At Eagle Point National Cemetery, veterans will lay wreaths at gravesites. A 21-gun salute will be fired. A flyover by the Oregon Air National Guard has been requested. The cemetery is located 14 miles northeast of Medford and one mile east of Eagle Point at 2763 Riley Road. Contact: Herb Robb, (541) 535-1899

May 28th – 1:30 PM – The Springfield Memorial Gardens and West Lawn Memorial Park in conjunction with the Lane County Memorial Day Association, will be hosting a “Tribute to honor those who paid the ultimate sacrifice.” This event is dedicated to the veterans of the Korean War. Join the “Salute to Veterans” at 7305 Main Street. Contact: Gene Drake, (541) 746-5311

May 28th – 11:00 AM – American Legion Post 2 and the Oregon Army National Guard, 2-218 Field Artillery, HQ Battery will host a ceremony at the Forest View Cemetery, located at 1161 Pacific Ave. An Army National Guard keynote speaker will be announced. An Oregon Air National Guard flyover has been requested. Contact: Jim Craigg, (503) 357-3660

May 28th – 8:00 AM – VFW Post 4211, Northwest Indian Veterans’ Association (NIVA), American Veterans (AMVETS) Post 2000, and American Legion Post 75 will perform Memorial Day services at the Grand Ronde Cemetery on Grand Ronde Road.

10:00 AM – AMVETS Post 2000, VFW Post 4211, NIVA, and American Legion Post 75 will perform services at the Grand Ronde Cemetery located on Buck Hollow Road.

2:00 PM (approx.) – A ceremony will be held at the Grand Ronde Veterans Memorial located at 9615 Grand Ronde Road. VFW Post 4211, NIVA, AMVETS Post 2000, and American Legion Post 75 will perform the services. Names of local war veterans will be added to the memorial. Contact: Carl Lambert, (503) 879-4222

May 28th – 11:00 AM – The Marine Corps League will host an all veterans service including a parade of flags and laying of wreaths. The event will include guest speakers and will be held at Hillcrest Memorial Park, 945 N.E. Hillcrest Drive. Contact: John Woods, (541) 479-2707

May 28th – 11:00 AM – VFW Post 2666 will provide a color guard during a ceremony at Fir Lawn Memorial Park, located at 1070 W. Main Street. Oregon Army National Guard to post service branch flags. Bag piper will play Amazing Grace. Taps will also be played. Contact: George Anderson, (971) 404-7905, or Cindy Hinton, (503) 648-1732

1:00 PM – Valley Memorial Park, at 3809 S.E. Tualatin Valley Highway will host a ceremony. Cub Scout Pack 195 will present and retire the colors. Clan Maclay Pipe Band will play music. Guest speakers will include State Sen. Bruce Starr and World War II veteran Ralph Hess. An Oregon Air National Guard flyover has been requested. Contact: Dean Markasky, (503) 648-5444

May 28th – 9:45 AM – A parade will proceed through Idlewild Cemetery, located one mile south of uptown Hood River on Tucker Road. Guest speaker will be County Commissioner Ron Rivers. A local choir will sing, and band music will be provided by Hood River Valley High School.Contact: Patrick Scranton, (541) 386-1080

May 28th – American Legion Post 51 will display more than 300 casket flags that have been donated by families of veterans for the all-day event at the IOOF Cemetery located at Highway 20 and Cemetery Road. Each pole has a brass plaque bearing the same name of the veteran whom the flag honored. Each flag is displayed in the same location annually. Contact: Fred Schaefer, (541) 258-7453

May 28th – American Legion Post 21, VFW Post 10626, and DAV Chapter 5 will work with the Boy Scouts to place flags at veteran’s graves at the Evergreen Memorial Cemetery. Contact: Mike Morris, 503-435-2218

Noon - Evergreen Aviation Museum will host a special veteran aircraft presentation. The museum is located at 500 N.E. Captain Michael King Smith Way, on Highway 18. Contact: Nicole Wahlberg, (503) 434-4180

May 28th – 8:30 AM – Milwaukie Pioneer Cemetery Association and Boy Scout Troop 143 will conduct flag raising and retirement ceremonies (4:30 p.m.) at the cemetery, located one half-block north of Waverly Drive on S.E. 17th Ave. Volunteers will assist visitors in finding gravesites all weekend. Check their website for more information visit: http://www.milwpioneercem.org Contact: Mark Neubauer, (503) 997-9495, or email info@milwpioneercem.org

May 25th – 7:00 PM – American Legionnaires and Boy Scouts will decorate veterans’ graves at Calvary Cemetery, one-quarter mile north of town on Highway 214, and at eight other area cemeteries.

May 28th – 9:30 AM – American Legion Post 89 will host a service in Calvary Cemetery where a memorial wreath will be placed. The Marion County Citizens Band will play patriotic music. St. Mary’s Parish Choir will sing and Mass will be celebrated. Oregon Army National Guard Honor Guard will fire a gun salute. An Oregon Air National Guard fly-over has been requested. If there is inclement weather, services will take place in St. Mary Parish Church, 575 E. College Street. Contact: Jerry Lauzon, (503) 845-6882

May 28th – 11:00 AM – VFW Post 4015 and American Legion Post 57 will host a ceremony and special remembrances at Newberg Memorial Park located on 4th and Howard Street. The guest speaker will be Major James Lyda, Oregon Army National Guard. The Newberg Police Department Honor Guard will present the flag, read the roll call of service members who have died in conflicts, and render a ‘Salute to the Dead’. Newberg High School musicians will sing the National Anthem and play Taps. Students will recite the Flanders Field Recitation and Response. Sergeant Tim Weaver will read the Gettysburg Address. A BBQ will follow the ceremony. All donations go to a troop and family relief fund. Contact: Don Miller, (503) 538-6108

May 28th – 11:00 AM – American Legion Post 79 will conduct a memorial service at the Hilltop Cemetery.

11:30 AM – American Legion Post 79 will host a service at the city park boat ramp on the Snake River. During a brief service, a wreath will be placed on the water to honor all military members who have lost their lives at sea. Contact: Bill Thomson, (541) 889-6344

May 28th – 9:30 AM – American Legion Post 67, the VFW Post 5452, and the Disabled American Veterans Chapter 18 will combine their organizations to put on memorial services beginning at Evergreen Cemetery located on S. Park Boulevard.

10:00 AM – Services will be held at Sunset Cemetery located on Sunset Drive, two blocks south of 4th Avenue.

10:30 AM – Services will be held at Meadowbrook Assisted Living Facility located at 1372 S.W. 8th Avenue. Contact: Bill Thomson, (541) 889-6344

May 28th – 10:30 AM – American Legion Post 29, VFW Post 1412 and their Auxiliaries are co-sponsoring a parade, which will begin at the Crook County Courthouse and proceed to Ochoco Creek Park and the POW/MIA Monument. Following a short program and wreath-laying, the parade will re-form and depart from the Juniper Haven Cemetery and go to the Veterans Ceremonial Area for other ceremonies. There will be an open house at the Vet’s Club, 405 N. Main Street. Contact: Sid Carter, (541) 447-5304

May 26th – 10:00 AM – Skyline Memorial Gardens and Funeral Home will host flag presentations and placement of memorial wreaths. The Fort Vancouver Pipe and Brass bands will play; the Oregon Military Museum will host a display. Guest speaker will be Brig. Gen. Charles Yriarte of the Oregon Army National Guard. An Army Guard Blackhawk helicopter flyover has been requested. The Army Guard’s 2-218th Field Artillery unit will fire a 21-gun salute. The Veterans of Oregon Field of Honor 1,000 Flag Display will be presented. Contact: Richard McIntire or Colleen Combs, 503-292-6611

May 28th – 10:00 AM – Major Gen. Raymond F. Rees, the Adjutant General, Oregon National Guard, will speak at the Willamette National Cemetery for the 57th Annual Memorial Day Ceremony. The program includes music by the Fort Vancouver Pipe Band. A joint military Color Guard will present honors and provide a rifle salute. An Oregon Air National Guard flyover has been requested. Contact: George Allen, 503-273-5250

10:00 AM – The names of 801 Oregon Vietnam veterans who were killed during the war will be read at the Oregon Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

11:00 AM – During the annual ceremony at the Memorial, veterans groups will post the colors and present wreaths. Guest speakers include U.S. Senator Ron Wyden. The Portland Police Highland Guard will play Amazing Grace. The Oregon Army National Guard will retire Colors. An Oregon Air National Guard flyover has been requested. The Memorial is located in Washington Park across from the Metro Park Zoo at 400 S.W. Canyon Road. Contact: Jerry Pero, (503) 266-1686

May 28th – 11:00 AM – VFW Post 4116 will host a ceremony at the Woodville Cemetery on Ward Road. Contact: Tom LaZette, (541) 889-0490

May 28th – 11:00 AM – The Greater Salem Area Veterans’ Organizations (GSAVO) will sponsor the 26th annual Memorial Day program at the City View Cemetery, located at 390 Hoyt Street S. The keynote speaker will be World War II U.S. Army nurse, 1st. Lt. (Ret.) Jane Wiles. A flyover from the Oregon Army National Guard has been requested. A potluck luncheon will be held afterwards at VFW Post 661 located at 630 Hood Street N.E. Parking is limited. Contact: Bea Harlan, (503) 362-5530

1:00 PM – A ceremony will honor Oregonians who have recently died while serving in support of military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The guest speaker is Col. (Ret.) Scott McCrae. The memorial is located on the ODVA grounds at 700 Summer Street N.E. Contact: Robin Steckley, (503) 373-2386

In partnership with the Patriot Guard Riders motorcycle group, riders from various areas of the state are invited to participate in a Memorial Day rally on May 28th.

Riders will depart from five cities at different times to meet at 12:30 PM for a ceremony at the Afghan-Iraqi Freedom Memorial in Salem.

During the ceremony, which begins at 1:00 PM, the names of Oregon military members killed in action while serving in support of Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom, since November 11th, will be added to the Memorial.

Motorcycle rally points include Bend, Lincoln City, Oregon City, Salem, Silverton, Springfield, and Tualatin.

For more information about times and exact rally points, call Bill McMichael at (503) 931-2135 or visit the Patriot Guard Riders website at www.patriotguard.org

May 28th – 11:00 AM – VFW Post 4211, Northwest Indian Veterans’ Association, AMVETS Post 2000, and American Legion Post 75 will perform services at the cemetery located near Highway 18. Contact: Carl Lambert, (503) 879-4222

May 28th – 10:30 AM – A ceremony will be presented by VFW Post 8138 and American Legion Post 8 at the Village Green Parks, located across the street from the Sisters Camp Sherman Dining Hall. The guest speaker will be U.S. Navy Senior Chief (Ret.) Phillip Gale. The Crook County Naval Junior ROTC, under the direction of U.S. Navy Master Chief (Ret.) Donnie Jackson, will present the Colors and rifle drill. There will be a flyover by a restored pre-World War II bi-plane. Contact: Frank Jackson, (541) 389-6966

May 28th – 10:15 AM – The Springfield Memorial Gardens and West Lawn Memorial Park in conjunction with the Lane County Memorial Day Association, will be hosting an annual “Tribute to honor those who paid the ultimate sacrifice.” The event is dedicated to the veterans of the Korean War. Join the “Salute to Veterans” at 7305 Main Street. Contact: Gene Drake, (541) 746-5311

May 28th – 2:00 PM – VFW Post 2471 will conduct a ceremony that includes posting the colors, a moment of silence and the playing of Taps, at the Oregon Veterans’ Home, located at 700 Veterans’ Drive. Contact: Howard Thill, (541) 296-9633

May 28th – 11:00 AM – American Legion Post 96 will be conducting memorial services at the Valley View Cemetery located at 1699 Valley View Road. Contact: Bill Thomson, (541) 889-6344

May 28th – 11:00 AM – The Aloha American Legion Post 104 Honor Guard will present the Colors and fire a 21-gun salute during a ceremony at the Vernonia Memorial Cemetery located at 2080 Bridge Street. The keynote speaker will be announced. A bugler will play Taps. Contact: Dave Yeo, (503) 640-4941

May 28th – 9:00 AM – VFW Post 4211, Northwest Indian Veterans’ Association, AMVETS Post 2000, and American Legion Post 75 will perform services at the cemetery downtown on the Highway 18 Business Route. Contact: Carl Lambert, (503) 879-4222

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Comments Leave a comment on this story.

All comments and messages are approved by people and self promotional links or unacceptable comments are denied.

Blawspapsunse November 6, 2008 10:30 pm (Pacific time)

I read some of the posts and I think it is a great place! I can be sensitive about my comfortable shelter I have a good fresh joke for you! What magazine do cats like to read? Good Mousekeeping.

Dorothy May 26, 2008 1:57 pm (Pacific time)

It was a great disappointment to day. We noticed that all the Memorial services dates in all of Oregon were incorrect on this website. After going up to Skyline gardne Memorial we were greeted by saying the service was last Saturday. We then headed to the Hoyt Arboretum where thankfully we could pay tribute and remembrance to those that served us and our country. I would please ask that you check your days and dates so that all the information is correct for the years to come.

Editor: I am so sorry to read this, we will check the information and only know that this is what was sent to our newsroom and it seems that everything should have been correct, it pains us to learn it wasn't. Again, we are very sorry and we really do care about providing accurate information.

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