EVERETT—The public is invited to attend a Memorial Day Ceremony to honor the brave men and women who died in war that will be held 11 a.m., Monday, May 27, Pacific Rim Plaza at the Port of Everett, located at 1028 13th Street (Pacific Rim Plaza is located on the south side of Hotel Indigo).
The ceremony will include the singing of the National Anthem, a reading of a Memorial Day Proclamation by Everett Mayor Cassie Franklin, guest speakers from the Port of Everett and Naval Station Everett, presentation of colors, a rifle salute, taps, and the playing of Amazing Grace on bag pipes.
This will be the first time the ceremony will be held at Pacific Rim Plaza within the Port of Everett. Naval Station Everett, homeport to hundreds of sailors and civilians, is located just a third of a mile from Pacific Rim Plaza.
Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro met with sailors while at Naval Station Everett on February 14 where he shared his priorities and listened to service personnel. The Navy is planning to expand its fleet at the base with up to 12 Constellation-class guided-missile frigates by 2028 with an additional 2,400 sailors and civilians working in the area.
Fincantieri Marine Repair (FMR), a subsidiary of one of the world’s largest shipbuilding companies, is expanding its presence to the Port of Everett this spring, marking its first location in Washington state to support U.S. Navy assets.
This year’s Memorial Day Ceremony was made possible by a collaboration between the Port of Everett, the City of Everett, Everett July Fourth Foundation members Restaurateur Kerri Lonergan-Dreke and Everett Councilman Scott Bader, Businessowner Linda Smith, and Lt. Dan Mathews, retired Air Force, and the Lynnwood Times.
In 2023, the Everett July Fourth Foundation lead an all-volunteer committee who returned the annual 4th of July Parade to Everett. The foundation is seeking sponsors for both events and entries and volunteers for its 4th of July Parade. For more information, visit everett4thofjuly.org or email info@everett4thofjuly.org.
Memorial Day, originally known as Decoration Day, has its origins a few years after the end of the Civil War. The holiday originally only honored those who served in the Civil War, but that changed during World War I when the focus shifted to all military service members that lost their lives in any war.
Memorial Day was first observed on May 30, and congress passed a law recognizing it as a federal holiday to be observed on the last Monday in May. This law went into effect, and Memorial Day has been a federal holiday since 1971.
More information about the upcoming 2024 Memorial Day Ceremony will be released within a few weeks on the Lynnwood Times, Port of Everett, and the City of Everett websites.
Author: Mario Lotmore
