There will be a Military Appreciation Day at Costco Wholesale in Sequim on Saturday, May 25, from 8-9:30 a.m. There will be a free continental breakfast and goodie bag for all veterans. If you are not a member of Costco and you sign up during this event, you receive exclusive coupons worth $60.
Memorial Day
Post 62 of the American Legion will be hosting Memorial Day ceremonies at the following cemeteries on Monday, May 27: 11 a.m. Sequim View, 11:30 a.m. at Jamestown, noon at Dungeness and 12:45 p.m. at Blue Mountain. Check the newspapers for other ceremonies and times.
I encourage all of you to attend a ceremony. They don’t last long, but it is important to remember and show respect for those veterans who have passed on, whether in combat or after.
There will be U.S. flags on all veterans’ graves in the above cemeteries, placed there on Saturday by the American Legion and they will remain until late Monday afternoon.
Grand opening
At 11 a.m. Saturday, May 25, the Museum of Flight in Seattle will be holding a grand opening and dedication of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Park. The new park features a B-52G Stratofortress, a memorial statue of a service member returning home, including a folded flag to recognize those who did not survive the war and a tribute wall.
The program includes fly-overs, a color guard presentation and a special pinning ceremony for Vietnam veterans in attendance to honor their service. There is free general admission to the museum for veterans — plus one adult and any children younger than 17 — for Saturday (May 25), Sunday (May 26) and Monday (May 27) to celebrate this event.
This is named Project Welcome Home. The museum is at 9404 E. Marginal Way, Seattle. See www.museumof flight.org for directions and more information.
Vets on parade
The Irrigation Festival Parade on May 11 at noon will have veterans units — American Legion, Marine Corps League, VFW, etc., and flag displays — along with the NJROTC Color Guard and others. Please cheer for our veterans and show respect for our flag. Stand, uncover, hand over your heart or if a veteran, hand salute. Many Sequim folks have served or are serving and need our support, respect and recognition.
MOAA meets
The Olympic Peninsula Chapter of the Military Officers Association of America will hold its monthly membership luncheon at noon at Baja Cantina, 531 W. Washington St., Sequim. All officers who have served in the U.S. armed forces are welcome.
The speaker is Patrick Downs, a Los Angeles Times photojournalist who was embedded with the Marines for Desert Storm/Gulf War. Please email the treasurer to RSVP or if you have questions at coonelly@olypen.com.
Contributors: American Legion, Carl Bradshaw, thbkdragon@yahoo.com; MOAA, DAR and Voices For Veterans, Lorri Gilchrist, cdrlgilchrist@gmail.com; Marine Corps League, Mark Schildknecht, marana-s@outlook.com ; Korean War Veterans, Jerry Rettela, eletteor@msn.com; Fleet Reserve Association, Marty Arnold, martinarnold2001@yahoo.com.
