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Jacksonville Virtual Memorial Day Observance To Include Families Of Fallen Servicemembers

PETER HADEN / WJCT NEWS
The Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Wall is pictured during the 2015 Memorial Day Observance.

The city of Jacksonville will be hosting a virtual Memorial Day observance Monday to honor U.S. Armed Forces members who gave their lives in service to the U.S.

The observance, which was recorded in advance, will be posted on the city’s YouTube Channel and its social media at 8 a.m. Monday.

The observance includes remarks from Mayor Lenny Curry, military leadership, musical selections from the Voices of Jacksonville, the touring choir of the Jacksonville Children’s Chorus, Jacksonville Pipes & Drums, and others.

The video was produced at the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Wall, the 65-foot long, black granite monument behind a torch with an eternal flame at 1145 E. Adams St., adjacent to TIAA Bank Field.

A city spokesperson told WJCT News on Friday that this year's observance was recorded for social distancing reasons. It marks the second year in a row that Jacksonville has held a virtual Memorial Day observance due to the pandemic.

The public was invited to lay wreaths in honor of fallen family, friends and loved ones on Saturday, May 22, as part of the recording. The remembrance being released Monday, May 31, will also feature interviews with family members who have lost a loved one.

According to the city, the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Wall is the second largest memorial wall in the nation and the only wall to honor all six military branches.

It contains the names of servicemen and women from World War I through the War on Terror. The wall was rededicated on its 20-year anniversary in November of 2015.

This year, two servicemen, Quinton Jones, U.S. Army, and Jason Recker, U.S. Navy, will be added to the 1,700 names of Jacksonville area men and women who have given their lives in service to our country.

More information about the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Wall is available here.

Bill joined WJCT News in September of 2017 from The Florida Times-Union, where he served in a variety of multimedia journalism positions.