Duval County

City of Jacksonville to host virtual Memorial Day observance

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — As the city, state, and nation continue to cautiously reopen in the wake of COVID-19, the City of Jacksonville is hosting a virtual Memorial Day Observance on Monday, May 25, to honor the brave men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces who lost their lives in service to our country.

“This year’s observance is notably different than how Jacksonville normally honors our heroes on this sacred day,” said Mayor Lenny Curry. “As our city and communities throughout America work to recover from the COVID-19 crisis, we must still pause and reflect on those who lost their lives in service to our nation. Jacksonville will never forget their sacrifice.”

The digital observance will be posted to the City of Jacksonville YouTube Channel and social media platforms on Memorial Day, May 25 at 8 a.m. The video will contain remarks from Mayor Lenny Curry, local officials and military leadership, musical selections from the Jacksonville Voices, Jacksonville Pipes & Drums and Navy Band Southeast, a wreath laying ceremony and more.

Like the normal observances, filming took place at the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Wall which features the names of 1,700 military men and women who called Jacksonville home or graduated from High School here. It is the largest black granite memorial wall outside of Washington, D.C. and the only wall to honor all six military branches.

When it is appropriate and safe, we encourage Gold Star families, veterans and patriotic citizens to visit the Wall and remember those inscribed upon it. No new names are being added to the wall this year.