Members of the military with substantial ties to Maryland, killed since May 2010 while serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, will be honored at Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens’ annual Memorial Day Ceremony. The traditional ceremony, which salutes the men and women of the armed forces who have paid the highest price in defense of the United States of America, will take place Monday, May 30, 2011 at 10:00 a.m., in the Circle of the Immortals, Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens. The observance is free and open to the public.
In addition to honoring those fighting the battles of today, the Memorial Day Ceremony will also pay tribute to those who gave their lives in Korea, Vietnam and World War II. Brigadier General Wilma L. Vaught, a trailblazer for women in the military, will be the keynote speaker.
Governor Martin O’Malley and Brig. Gen. Peter C. Hinz will give memorial addresses. The ceremony will also include the pageantry of the 229th Maryland Army National Guard Band, as well as color guard units from the Maryland National Guard, the Korean War Veterans Association, the Patriot Guard Riders, and the Elkridge Young Marines. Other participants include: Lt. Colonel Clark Carr, Deputy Joint Forces Chaplain, Maryland National Guard; Richard Patterson and Patricia Perluke, American Flag Foundation, Inc.; and Maryland Sings, under the direction of Bill Myers.
Among those who will be honored are:
· Cpl. Kurt S. Shea, USMC, Frederick, MD, May 10, 2010
· Sgt. John F. Burner, III, USA, Baltimore, MD, September 16, 2010
· Lt. Brendan J. Looney, USN, Silver Spring, MD, September 21, 2010
· SFC Lance H. Vogeler, USA, Frederick, MD, October 1, 2010
· Lance Cpl. Terry E. Honeycutt, Jr. USMC, Waldorf, MD, October 27, 2010
· SPC David C. Lutes, USA, Frostburg, MD, November 11, 2010
· Lance Cpl. Maung Htaik, USMC, Hagerstown, MD, January 1, 2011
· Staff Sgt. James Malachowski, USMC, Westminster, MD, March 20, 2011
· Capt. Charles E. Ridgley, Jr., USA, Baltimore, MD, April 16, 2011
Dulaney Valley’s Circle of Immortals is an area dedicated in 1967 and reserved for Marylanders killed in action. Twenty-six men who died in Vietnam are also buried within the Circle.
The area is also home to the official Baltimore County World War II/Korean War Memorial, dedicated in 1998; and The Children of Liberty Memorial, which was added to the Circle in 1990 and is dedicated to Maryland servicemen and women who died at the hands of terrorists. It includes a plaque dedicated to the seven Maryland servicemen who lost their lives in the 1991 Liberation of Kuwait, the names of the three Maryland servicemen killed in 2000 aboard the USS Cole, and the names of the servicemen killed in the September 11, 2001 attack on the Pentagon.
The annual Memorial Day ceremony at Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens is a legacy of the former owner John Armiger Jr. Like his father, he felt the public was losing sight of the meaning of Memorial Day. John O. Mitchell III and John O. (Jack) Mitchell IV, owners of the Mitchell-Wiedefeld Funeral Home, Inc. in Towson, MD, purchased the cemetery in July 2007. The Mitchell family is committed to continuing the tradition of honoring those who serve our country and they welcome the community to pay tribute to these dedicated men and women.
