Memorial Day ceremony will be in-person this year

The Sheridan County Veteran’s Council will hold the Memorial Day Ceremony on Monday, May 31, at 9 a.m.

The ceremony will be both live streamed on the WYO Theater YouTube page and in-person, open to the public at the WYO Theater. 

Flags will be placed on the graves of servicemembers Sunday, May 30, starting at 9 a.m.

In the Sheridan Region, the Sheridan County Veteran’s Council organizes the Memorial Day events. The theme for this year’s events is the recognition of the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War. The Sheridan Veteran’s Council is made up of local representatives from Veterans of Foriegn Wars, American Legion, Disabled American Veterans, Veterans Affairs, plus the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts.

While appearing on Sheridan Media’s Public Pulse US Army and Air National Guard retired Lieutenant Colonel Ronald A. Lo Porto with Disabled American Veterans explained to listeners that he considers Memorial Day to be a day of remembrance for the few citizens who have died for the freedoms of their fellow Americans.

A former US Navy Chief Petty Officer, Kristina Miller now serves veterans like herself in many different ways by serving on the council and working for the Sheridan VA Medical System. 

Observed on the last Monday of May of every year since 1971, Memorial Day has gone through some slight changes over the years, but the meaning behind the day has always remained the same. 

According to the Library of Congress, in 1868, Commander in Chief John A. Logan of the Grand Army of the Republic issued General Order Number 11, designating May 30, as a memorial day.

The first national celebration of the holiday took place May 30, 1868, at Arlington National Cemetery, where both Confederate and Union soldiers were buried. Originally known as Decoration Day, at the turn of the century it was designated as Memorial Day.

In 1971, federal law changed the observance of the holiday to the last Monday in May and extended the honor to all soldiers who died in American wars. A few states continue to celebrate Memorial Day on May 30. In many towns and cities throughout the Nation, the day is still celebrated with parades and by placing US Flags on the graves of servicemembers.