Radford’s 20th Annual Memorial Day Service at 11 a.m. Monday May 28, will again be held at the Bisset Park Gazebo, highlighted by the traditional field of 59 crosses representing the city’s military lost in previous wars; appearance of LTC James H. Scott III, Commander of the Radford Arsenal; 12th district delegate Chris Hurst; the high school band and chorus; a reading of the names of the lost soldiers and a 21-gun salute and Taps.
The event, to be broadcast live on WRAD, AM 1460, has a storied history.
Two decades ago, the Commander of the VFW Post 776, Nick Nicholson, and a local newspaper editor had a conversation about the lack of a full Memorial Day event in Radford, which has lost 59 in various wars.
At the time, the VFW held a brief private marking of the event at the local cemetery or at the VFW building. Both men decided that a real ceremony should be planned for the following year and began contacts with those who might join in making it all happen. A totally volunteer committee was formed.
Twenty years ago, the first Memorial Day service was held at the Gazebo in Bisset Park, and the event has grown measurably since that initial attempt.
For several previous years, another limited marking of Memorial Day was being carried out annually by the local Ruritan club – a massing of flags on the hillside at the end of Memorial Bridge, below Radford High School.
Ruritan joined in the plans for the larger combined event. The flags are placed on the hillside on the Friday of Memorial Day weekend, an auspicious start for the remembrance.
Post 30 of the American Legion, which had also been marking the day with a small ceremony, reading the names of the 59 Radford military lost at war in front of their War Memorial building on Main Street, joined in the Bisset Park event, adding their reading of the names as a major part of the ceremonies.
Titular Sponsors are VFW Post 776, American Legion Post 30, Vietnam Veterans, Dublin-Radford Ruritan, Radford News Journal, WRAD AM 1460, NRV Marines, Bondurant Realty and Radford Arsenal, among others.
Additional help is provided by the City of Radford, Radford Parks and Recreation (Kenny Goodyear), BAE Systems, Woodmen of the World Lodge 14, Mullins Funeral Home.
Other program participants include Radford Vice Mayor Dr Richard Harshberger, Piper Andrew Meeks, Trumpeter SPC Stephanie Ashwell, US Army, Dana Jackson (Commander, Amer. Legion Post 30, US Navy Retired), VFW Rifle Corps, and Emcees Bob Thomas and Laurie Buchwald.
The VFW Women’s Auxiliary will provide a hot dog luncheon after the
Ceremony that is free to all who attend. mThe service is free and open to the public, rain or shine.
