More than 100,000 people are expected to attend activities at VA’s national cemeteries, with color guards, readings, bands and choir performances. Events will honor more than one million men and women who died in military service during wartime, including more than 655,000 battle deaths.
At Rock Island National Cemetery in Illinois, Rep. Bobby Schilling will present the son of a deceased World War I veteran with his father’s Silver Star certificate….
On May 29, at Riverside National Cemetery in Southern California –VA’s busiest — volunteers will read aloud the names of more than 5,000 people who were buried there since last year’s Memorial Day….
That 5,000 number is a remarkable one; I took time to ponder that for some time today. That is a rate of somewhat under 14 funerals per day if you use 365 days a year as a measuring stick