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The Town of Buchanan will hold its 78th annual Memorial Day service in Fairview Cemetery at 11 a.m. on Monday, May 26. American Legion Post 93 will host its annual Memorial Day Ceremony to honor and remember the men and women who lost their lives in service to the United States. In the event of inclement weather, the ceremony will be relocated indoors to Solomon’s Mission.
The program will feature musical performances by David Austin, including the national anthem and other selections. The Botetourt County Sheriff’s Office will conduct the presentation of the colors, and a student from James River High School will perform “Taps” as part of the tribute. Food and refreshments will be available at Solomon’s Mission following the ceremony. Proceeds from refreshments will support the Fairview Cemetery Association.
The keynote address will be delivered by Gene Malinowski, Commander of the American Legion, Department of Virginia. Commander Malinowski served in the U.S. Air Force from 1972 to 1980 as a staff sergeant and weapons technician, and later in the U.S. Army Reserves from 1987 to 1996 as a sergeant first class and combat engineer.
Sirens & Salutes, a local nonprofit organization, decorated the cemetery for this year’s Memorial Day weekend by placing memorial flags on the graves of fallen veterans and lined the cemetery’s fencing with flags representing each military division represented at Fairview. The organization has provided flags in the past on grave markers at Mountain View Cemetery in Vinton, and the Daleville, Troutville, Trinity, Mill Creek, Lithia Baptist Church, and Lithia United Methodist Church cemeteries. The organization puts out over 1,000 flags annually to honor local veterans.
The public is encouraged to attend this solemn occasion to pay tribute to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of the nation.
~ Fincastle Herald staff report
