Governor Lincoln D. Chafee will be honoring our war dead and remembering all deceased veterans in a formal ceremony at the Rhode Island Veterans Cemetery on Memorial Day, May 30, 2011 at 1:00 PM. The Governor will be joined by Sandra M. Powell, Director of the Department of Human Services and the Division of Veterans Affairs at the Thirty-Seventh Annual Memorial Day Exercises.
Flags donated by individuals and families in memory of deceased veterans will line Memorial Way toward the World War II Memorial Monument where the ceremony will be conducted. These Memorial Day Exercises have become an important tradition in Rhode Island. The Rhode Island Army National Guard will be on hand for the “Striking of the Colors" and "Firing Volleys." "Taps" will be performed by the Bugler 88th Army Band. The principal speaker for the program will be Colonel (RET) Susan Luz. Colonel Luz was the highest-ranking female soldier in the Army Reserve's 399th Combat Support called to active duty for Iraq. In 2007 she was awarded the Bronze Star for meritorious service while in Iraq.
The public is invited to join Governor Chafee and honored guests on Memorial Day at 1:00 PM at the World War II Memorial Monument off Memorial Drive at the Rhode Island Veterans Memorial Cemetery, 301 South County Trail, Exeter, Rhode Island 02822.