BENAROYA HALL’S GARDEN OF REMEMBRANCE MEMORIAL DAY CEREMONY TO BE HELD ON MONDAY, MAY 31 AT 10 A.M.

MEMORIAL DAY CEREMONY TO HONOR KOREAN WAR POW/MIA SERVICE MEMBERS

Seattle, WA — This year’s Memorial Day Ceremony will honor Korean War POW/MIA Service Members with a keynote address by Korean War Veteran John D. Hosey, followed by the tolling of the bell and the presentation of the wreaths at Benaroya Hall’s Garden of Remembrance on Monday, May 31, 2021 at 10:00 a.m.

The annual event is held in honor of Washington State Service members who fell in service to their country since Memorial Day of the prior year. The names of the fallen are engraved on the granite walls of the Garden of Remembrance. Thankfully, there are no new names to be added to the wall this year.

Families and individuals are welcome to leave flowers and other tokens in private ceremony throughout the day.

The ceremony is sponsored by the Garden of Remembrance Advisory Board, the Northwest Chapter of the Paralyzed Veterans of America, the Gold Star Mothers of Washington and Benaroya Hall.

GARDEN OF REMEMBRANCE

The Garden of Remembrance is an official state memorial to more than 8,000 Washington State citizens who have given their lives in the service of our country since 1941, including World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm, and post-9/11 conflicts. Every year on Memorial Day, families are invited to gather at the Garden to honor their fallen loved ones. Some bring photos and other mementos to leave at the wall while others create “rubbings” of the names with pencil and paper. The Garden of Remembrance is a half-acre, L-shaped space designed by late world-renowned landscape architect Robert Murase and lies along the south and west sides of Benaroya Hall. Memorial walls of granite, lined by slender reflecting pools, are oriented so that the names face the western sun. In addition to the walls, excerpts from poems honor veterans who died in our nation’s wars; lines from letters remind us of the personal connections with home that each name represents. The reflecting pools honor those missing in action, and a fountain honors those who died in peacetime and other national service. The golden oak tree that centers the Garden symbolizes remembrance of the cycle of life and honors the fallen and their families. The Garden was dedicated on July 4, 1998.

BENAROYA HALL

Benaroya Hall, home of Seattle Symphony, is located at 200 University Street in downtown Seattle on a city block between Second and Third avenues and Union and University streets. The Garden of Remembrance is easily accessible by public transportation. A 430-space parking garage, accessible from Second Avenue, is housed within Benaroya Hall.

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