Commonwealth’s Memorial Day Ceremony honors the fallen
Service members who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to their country were honored at the Commonwealth’s Memorial Day Ceremony May 27, 2024, at the Virginia War Memorial in Richmond, Virginia.
Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin delivered the keynote address, and retired Maj. Gen. Craig Crenshaw, the Virginia Secretary of Veterans and Defense Affairs, and Maj. Gen. James W. Ring, the Adjutant General of Virginia, also spoke. Youngkin and Crenshaw, along with Ring and his wife Rev. Leigh Anne Ring, placed memorial wreaths to honor the fallen.
Sgt. Carter Cooper, the Virginia National Guard Soldier of the Year, led the pledge of allegiance, and the 29th Infantry Division Band provided music for the ceremony. Members of the Virginia Defense Force volunteered their time to provide traffic management assistance for the event.
“What an honor it is to come together and remember freedom is not free,” Youngkin said. “This is the day we come together to revere, remember the heroes whose faithfulness and dedication to our nation was fully revealed by their ultimate sacrifice.”
Maj. Gen. James W. Ring, the Adjutant General of Virginia, and his wife Rev. Leigh Anne Ring place the Virginia National Guard memorial wreath to honor fallen VNG Soldiers and Airmen May 27, 2024, at the Virginia War Memorial in Richmond, Virginia.