The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is honoring 49 veterans of the Revolutionary War in a series of ceremonies that come as part of a wider effort to commemorate the U.S.’s 250th anniversary.
The ceremonies will take place in 16 cemeteries across the country on August 2 at 10 a.m. local time and will honor veterans who lost their lives in the conflict.
It comes as the U.S. celebrated the Declaration of Independence, which was signed on July 4, 1776, 250 years ago. This ended the American Revolution, which was a conflict between Great Britain and its 13 North American colonies, and resulted in the U.S. becoming independent. The U.S. is hosting a series of events across the country to celebrate the occasion.
“Service, sacrifice and patriotism are qualities displayed by our Veterans going back to the very founding of our nation,” said VA Under Secretary for Memorial Affairs Sam Brown. “Two hundred and fifty years later, we remain inspired by those who first took up arms in defense of liberty, and who, like the signers of the Declaration of Independence, risked their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor to establish the United States of America.”
Ceremony Locations
The ceremonies will take place in the following locations:
1. Bath National Cemetery, New York
2. Baton Rouge National Cemetery, Louisiana
3. Beverly National Cemetery, New Jersey
4. Congressional Cemetery Government Lots, District of Columbia
5. Crown Hill National Cemetery, Indiana
6. Florida National Cemetery, Florida
7. Fort Bliss National Cemetery, Texas
8. Fort Winnebago Cemetery Soldiers’ Lot, Wisconsin
9. Gerald B H Solomon Saratoga National Cemetery, New York
10. Great Lakes National Cemetery, Michigan
11. Indianatown Gap National Cemetery, Pennsylvania
12. Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, Missouri
13. Marietta National Cemetery, Georgia
14. Mountain Home National Cemetery, Tennessee
15. Springfield National Cemetery, Missouri
16. West Virginia National Cemetery, West Virginia
Other Recent Ceremonies
Other recent ceremonies have taken place across the U.S. to honor veterans and their efforts in U.S. conflicts.
25 veterans from various counties in Nebraska gathered at the Creighton Community Center in Creighton on Sunday, where they had lunch and received a commemorative recognition coin in appreciation of their service in the Korean War.
The state also hosted an official Korean War Armistice Day ceremony in Lincoln. There was also a ceremony at Veterans National Memorial Shrine & Museum in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
The names of the veterans who are being honored are available on the VA’s website.
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