Memorial Day wreath laying ceremonies planned around Tallahassee

Martha Gruender, Tallahassee Democrat
Updated ·4 min read

Tallahassee honors the lives lost and sacrifices made in service to country on Memorial Day.

Red, white and blue flags will be set out at grave stones and solemn ceremonies will mark the occasion as the nation pauses to remember the fallen. On Monday, fresh wreaths will adorn the graves of service members at local cemeteries, as well as war memorials and parks.

Tallahassee National Ceremony

The Memorial Day Ceremony at Tallahassee National Ceremony, 5015 Apalachee Parkway, will be held at 11 a.m. Sunday, May 26. Flags were placed at all headstones at the TNC beginning at 4 p.m. on Thursday, May 23.

Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3308 continue their long tradition of honoring departed comrades on Memorial Day at the VFW Post Cemetery.
Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3308 continue their long tradition of honoring departed comrades on Memorial Day at the VFW Post Cemetery.

Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3308

After several years of planning and fundraising, Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3308 - and the Fort San Luis Chapter, National Society of Daughters of the American Revolution, will dedicate a marker at the Tallahassee VFW Cemetery.

The Never Forget Garden Marker will be unveiled this Memorial Day at 11 a.m. Monday, May 27, at the Tallahassee VFW Cemetery, 1855 Fox Road. There will be a traditional Memorial Service and the DAR Dedication Ceremony.

Positioned between two granite benches, the marker provides a serene spot for families and loved ones to remember those who sacrificed their lives for our freedoms.

Thanks to the support from Fort San Luis Chapter members and a special initiative by the late Major John Haynes (USMC), titled "Operation Piggy Banks for Veterans," DAR fully funded this project in May 2023. The small marker, initially acquired from the Society of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, now rests on a sturdy granite base crafted through Mitchel Wilson from Florida Georgia Monuments.

Flags are placed at the headstones of Black military servicemen and women in Greenwood Cemetery on Memorial Day, May 31, 2021.
Flags are placed at the headstones of Black military servicemen and women in Greenwood Cemetery on Memorial Day, May 31, 2021.

Leon County

Leon County Government will honor the brave men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military by placing wreaths at memorials and monuments in the community during Memorial Day weekend.

Staff will lay a wreath during a formal ceremony hosted by the American Legion Sauls-Bridges Post 13 at 11 a.m. Monday, May 27, at Oakland Cemetery, 838 North Bronough St.

The County will also place wreaths at seven additional locations:

  • World War II Memorial at the Leon County Courthouse, 301 South Monroe St.

  • Korean War Memorial at Cascades Park, 790-798 Suwannee St.

  • Florida Vietnam Veterans Memorial, 463-489 South Monroe St.

  • Big Bend Hospice Veterans Memorial Garden, 1723 Mahan Center Boulevard

  • Daniel B. Chaires Community Park, 4768 Chaires Cross Road

  • Greenwood Cemetery, 1601 Old Bainbridge Road

  • Veterans of Foreign Wars Cemetery, corner of Fox Road and Old Briar Trail off of Hwy 319 in Leon County

City, state and county officials gather at Greenwood

Former Congressman Al Lawson will be hosting the annual posting of flags at Greenwood Cemetery in honor of Memorial Day again this year.

The remembrance is set for 9 a.m. on Monday with brief remarks and an invocation from Rev. Dr. Julius McAllister of Bethel AME before volunteers begin placing flags to honor the veterans at Greenwood Cemetery.

"Rep. Lawson will be joined by the Buffalo Soldiers, Tallahassee's 100 Black Men, Sen. Corey Simon, Rep. Allison Tant, Rep. Gallop Franklin II, Mayor John Dailey, Sheriff Walt McNeil, members of the city and county commissions, and other elected officials and community leaders to pay tribute to these fallen heroes," according to an emailed news release.

According to the news release, "Greenwood Cemetery was established in 1937 by Tallahassee's black community following the city's decision to no longer allow burials of black residents in the city-owned cemeteries. While the city had designated an alternative site as the Evergreen Cemetery, the land was too low-lying to be used as a burial ground. Sites at Greenwood were initially sold with the understanding that family members would be responsible for the upkeep. As those family members moved or passed away themselves, however, the cemetery fell into disrepair and became overgrown. It wasn't until 1985 that a group of citizens undertook a two-year effort to clean up the cemetery, survey the damaged gravesites, and secure ongoing maintenance from the city."

In use for almost 90 years, those interred at Greenwood include veterans spanning from the world wars to the War on Terror.

"These veterans were largely forgotten as the cemetery was not regularly included in observances of Memorial Day until 2019, when Congressman Lawson and organizations from the community gathered to place flags on the graves," the news release states.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Memorial Day ceremonies planned around Tallahassee