SUBLETTE COUNTY — As the last Monday in May approaches, so too does Memorial Day, a solemn day of remembrance for the United States military members who sacrificed their lives for …
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SUBLETTE COUNTY — As the last Monday in May approaches, so too does Memorial Day, a solemn day of remembrance for the United States military members who sacrificed their lives for America’s freedom. The federal holiday falls on May 27 this year and several activities are planned around Sublette County.
In Pinedale, the Sublette County Veterans Mounted Cavalry will hold a ceremony beginning at 10 a.m. at the Veterans Memorial located in American Legion Park on the north side of Pine Street. Following at 11 a.m., the Veterans of Foreign Wars and American Legion will convene at the Pinedale Cemetery, 73 Fremont Lake Road, for a performance of Taps, a rifle salute, a flag-raising ceremony and more. Everyone is invited to attend the ceremonies and the luncheon that follows at noon at the Pinedale VFW Post 4801, 1033 W. Pine Street.
Historically, members of the VFW have lined the pathways of the Pinedale Cemetery with 80 full-size American flags in preparation for Memorial Day, also placing flags at the Boulder, Daniel and Boundurant cemeteries.
Commander of the American Legion Post 47 Michael Edison said in recent years he has noticed, “Memorial Day has become the long weekend for many. Some have forgotten why this day was set aside. For them, it is a day of sales, promotions, picnics, BBQs and recreation.”
But Memorial Day is about so much more than a three-day weekend, Edison added, “It is a day to show our gratitude to those that gave their lives for all of us and remember them.”
Memorial Day was declared a national holiday in 1971 by an act of Congress, but it was first known as Decoration Day. Following the conclusion of the Civil War, which claimed hundreds of thousands of lives, on May 5, 1868, an organization of Union veterans called the Grand Army of the Republic established Decoration Day as a time for the nation to decorate the graves of those killed in battle.
In Big Piney on Monday, May 27, the American Legion Post No. 78 and American Legion Auxiliary host a service honoring local veterans at 11 a.m. at the Plainview Cemetery.
