KAILUA-KONA — As it does every May, Hawaii Island will pay respects to its valued military members, past and present, living and departed, at West Hawaii Veterans Cemetery this Memorial Day.
Chapter 7 of the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) will host this year’s ceremony, which is scheduled for 11 a.m. on May 28. Attendance is free and all are welcome.
“It’s going to be a day of remembrance for our fallen vets,” said Commander Gregorio Alip.
The ceremony will include posting of the colors, a 21-gun salute and the placing of leis on gravestones. Don Brown, vice commander for the local chapter of the DAV and current sergeant at arms for the Hawaii State DAV, will deliver the keynote address. A pot luck lunch will follow the proceedings.
Hawaii County Department of Parks and Recreation, in conjunction with the nonprofit West Hawaii Veterans Cemetery Development and Expansion Association, has helped to transform the venue over the years into one worthy of hosting a ceremony honoring those who’ve sacrificed their time, their safety, and too often their lives, in defense of their country.
Volunteers have planted several thousand native trees at the cemetery, built a POW/MIA Memorial Garden where ashes may be scattered, constructed a greenhouse to cultivate Hawaiian flora and developed a Purple Heart Memorial to commemorate those injured or killed in battle.