Editor’s note: This story has been updated with accurate information for Monday’s event at Forest Lawn. Several Memorial Day events are planned in Kitsap County, starting Thursday and continuing through Monday, a national holiday that honors service members killed while defending the country. Here’s a list of what’s happening and how to get involved.
Thursday May 23
Bremerton: Miller-Woodlawn Funeral Home’s annual Memorial Day Weekend flag-placing ceremony will take place Thursday at 3 p.m. at Miller Woodlawn Memorial Park in Bremerton. People can honor and remember the service of the more than 2,000 veterans who lie at rest at the funeral home by placing the flags for the holiday weekend, according to the event page.
Saturday May 25
Port orchard: The 13th annual Unforgotten, Run to Tahoma celebration of life will begin at the Kitsap County Administration Building in Port Orchard at 10 a.m. After a brief ceremony to honor the lives and service of the fallen and unclaimed veterans, the remains were received from the Kitsap County Medical Examiner. will be escorted to their final resting place at Tahoma National Cemetery. Residents are welcome to attend the ceremony and participate in the procession, according to Kitsap County.
The ceremony is hosted by the Kitsap County Board of Commissioners, Kitsap County Medical Examiner, Kitsap County Veterans Advisory Council and Combat Veterans International and is supported by the City of Port Orchard.
Monday May 27
USS Turner Joy: A ceremony to commemorate Memorial Day will be held on the fantail of the USS Turner Joy, the destroyer docked near the Bremerton Ferry Terminal.
The event begins at 10 a.m. and will feature the national anthem while the local Sea Cadet squadron parades with its colors, tap dancing, a rifle salute and remarks from an active-duty Marine sergeant major local. The memorial wreath will be laid in memory of those who died, according to the Navy League’s Bremerton Olympic Peninsula Council, which sponsored the event.
Board Chairman Tom Zwolfer will serve as master of ceremonies. Coffee and donuts will be provided on board in the crew mess.
Ivy Green Cemetery: American Legion Post 149 will lay flags at Ivy Green Cemetery, 1401 Naval Avenue, at 7 a.m. This will be followed by a community breakfast and a ceremony beginning at noon.
Forest lawn: The Fleet Reserve Association, Branch 29, will host a ceremony at 11 a.m. at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, 5409 Kitsap Way, with Mayor Greg Wheeler speaking as the guest of honor.
Port orchard: Flags will be hung on Bay Street by VFW Post 2669, and Sunset Lane Memorial Park, 1000 Bethel Avenue, will host its annual ceremony at 11 a.m. There will also be a ceremony at 3 p.m. at the Manchester Library at 8067 E. Main Street. in Manchester, followed by a barbecue at the Fred Needham VFW Post 2669 at 4:30 p.m.
Bainbridge Island: The Bainbridge Island Memorial Day celebration, hosted by the American Legion Colin Hyde Post 172, will be held at 11:40 a.m. Monday at the Bainbridge High School memorial.
