Jacksonville is one of the most prolific military towns in the country, a fact that will be recognized in a solemn and grand occasion on Memorial Day.
Capping off Memorial Day Weekend, an observance ceremony will begin Monday at 8 a.m. at the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Wall, at 1145 E. Adams St. Downtown near EverBank Field stadium. After a pre-ceremony event, the full ceremony gets underway at 8:30 a.m. to honor America's fallen service members from the First Coast area.
Music will fill the air commemorating the heroes of various conflicts the United States engaged in. The U.S. Navy Band Southeast will provide the sounds supporting the commemoration. The Voices of Jacksonville choir will also perform.
The keynote speaker will be U.S. Navy Vice Admiral, Retired, Mary Jackson.
The site of the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Wall is a unique feature for the city. It cost about $250,000 to erect and was established in 1995. The memorial is similar in nature to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial wall in Washington, D.C.
The Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Wall features names of veterans originally from Jacksonville who've fallen in conflicts from seven branches of the U.S. military. There are already 1,700 names chiseled into the 65-foot-long black wall made of granite. There's also an eternal flame in the front area of the wall, which is outdoors. All names are of those service personnel who died while on duty at the time of their death during a declared war since World War II.
The Jacksonville memorial wall is the largest of its kind in the United States outside of the Vietnam vets wall in the nation's capital.
Jacksonville officials say free parking is available in parking lots J and P surrounding the stadium.
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