Sure, it’s a day off and the unofficial start of summer, but Key West’s military groups pause every year on Memorial Day to recall the reason for the holiday with three reflective events.
Memorial Day, which always takes place on the last Monday of May, is held to honor the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military.
The Navy League will host a ceremony at 9 a.m. at the USS Maine Memorial in the Key West Cemetery. At 10 a.m., a ceremonial laying of the wreaths will be held at the Veterans Memorial at Bayview Park, and at 11 a.m., the American Legion will host a ceremony at the Southern Keys Cemetery on Big Coppitt Key.
According to history.com, Memorial Day was originally known as Decoration Day. It originated in the years following the Civil War, which ended in the spring of 1865 and claimed more lives than any conflict in U.S. history. The war required the establishment of the country’s first national cemeteries. By the late 1860s, Americans in various towns and cities had begun holding springtime tributes to the fallen soldiers, decorating their graves with flowers and reciting prayers.
Memorial Day became an official federal holiday in 1971.
Key West Memorial Day Ceremonies
- The Navy League will host a ceremony at 9 a.m. at the USS Maine Memorial in the Key West Cemetery.
- At 10 a.m., a ceremonial laying of the wreaths will be held at the Veterans Memorial at Bayview Park.
- At 11 a.m., the American Legion will host a ceremony at the Southern Keys Cemetery on Big Coppitt Key.
Did you know? Each year on Memorial Day a national moment of remembrance takes place at 3 p.m. local time.
