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VALLEY — American Legion Post 67 will be hosting a Memorial Day program in Veterans Park at 11 a.m. on Monday, May 30. The public is invited. There’s a special invitation for all veterans and anyone who lost a family member while in service.

“We will have a special emphasis on the names on the monuments in Veterans Park,” said Post Commander Lanny Bledsoe. “These are men who grew up in the Valley area, answered the call of duty when they were young, went to a war zone and never returned home. The lives of their friends and loved ones would never be the same after their passing.”

There are four monuments in Veterans Park. Each one lists a fallen soldier’s name, their hometown, branch of service and the date and place where they died. There are 93 names in all, 72 on the World War II marker, six for the Korean War, 14 for the Vietnam War and one, Sgt. Brandon Hadaway, who died in Afghanistan.

Two local men will be talking about men they knew from the local area who died in Vietnam. Post Adjutant Sammy Newton, who served in Vietnam, will be talking about someone he knew while growing up in River View. Former Valley Mayor Arnold Leak, also a Vietnam veteran, will be talking about someone he knew from the local area who went to Vietnam and didn’t make it home.

Memorial Day is a U.S. holiday observed on the last Monday in May. It honors the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military.

Originally known as Decoration Day, this day of remembrance originated in the years following the Civil War. It became an official federal holiday in 1971. Many Americans observe Memorial Day by visiting cemeteries or memorials, holding family gatherings or taking part in parades. Unofficially, it marks the beginning of the summer season with Labor Day marking the season’s end.