For the 86th year, the Cherokee Memorial Park & Funeral Home will be holding a Memorial Day service.
American Flags will adorn the graves of veterans on Monday, May 25, as the park will hold its Veterans Memorial Day Service starting at 10:30 a.m. at Cherokee Memorial Park & Funeral Home, at 14165 Beckman Road in Lodi. The service is open to the public.
“Each year on Memorial Day we honor those who fought and died for the freedoms we hold so dear as Americans,” the Cherokee Memorial website states. “On this day of recognition we also salute our deceased veterans, those who are still with us, as well as those who are actively serving in the Armed Services today.”
The Veterans Memorial Day Service first began in 1940.
This year’s guest speaker will be retired Sgt. First Class Sarom Teiv, U.S. Army, from Stockton. The national anthem will be by Deborah Del Mastro and there will be special presentations by the Stockton Portsmen singers, Armed Forces Medley Tribute and Patriotic songs.
This year’s flag tributes will include the 69th annual Avenue of Flags with 1,044 large veterans flags flown and more than 8,500 small American flags, according to the Cherokee Memorial website. These will mark the burial sites of veterans at Cherokee Memorial Park.
There will also be Killed in Action Flags at 40 War Heroes burial sites at Cherokee Memorial Park, a Field of Flags in memory of 7,057 combat veterans killed in Iraq and Afghanistan and a Walk of Valor Flag Tribute in honor of 43 local combat veterans killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.
To learn more about the annual Veterans Memorial Day Service at the Cherokee Memorial Park & Funeral Home, visit cherokeememorial.com/memorial-day.
Record reporter Angelaydet Rocha covers business and community news in Stockton and San Joaquin County. She can be reached at arocha@recordnet.com or on Twitter @AngelaydetRocha. To support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow.
This article originally appeared on The Record: Veterans Memorial Day Service returns for 86th year at Cherokee Memorial
Reporting by Angelaydet Rocha, The Stockton Record / The Record
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