[StBernard] Memorial Day Ceremony Scheduled At Chalmette National Cemetery

[Westley Annis]

Memorial Day Ceremony Scheduled At Chalmette National Cemetery

 

Vietnam Veterans of VFW Post 3798 will present a Memorial Day tribute to
America's fallen troops at 12:30 p.m. Sunday, May 30, at Chalmette National
Cemetery, 8606 West St. Bernard Highway, Chalmette. The public is invited.
For more information call 504-589-3882 ext. 228 or visit www.nps.gov/jela. 

 

The ceremony will include a color guard, bagpiper, bugler, and remarks from
post members. Vietnam War veterans buried in the cemetery and members of the
post interred elsewhere will be honored by a firing salute.

 

Volunteers are needed at Chalmette National Cemetery in support of Memorial
Day. Volunteers may meet at the cemetery on the days and times noted or may
call ahead. Volunteers are welcone to work for part or all of the time
required for the following projects: 

*	On Friday, May 28, flags will be put at every headstone in the
cemetery. The project begins at 7:30 a.m. and will continue until the job is
done, usually 4-5 hours. The project requires walking and bending over.
*	On Tuesday, June 1, the flags will be picked up and repackaged for
storage. The project begins at 7:30 a.m. and will continue until the job is
done, usually 4-5 hours. Picking up the flags requires walking and bending
over; repackaging the flags requires sitting and rolling the flags for
storage.

 

Chalmette National Cemetery is located next to Chalmette Battlefield, the
site of the Battle of New Orleans in 1815. The cemetery and battlefield are
managed by the National Park Service as one of the six sites of Jean Lafitte
National Historical Park and Preserve. Over 15,000 troops are buried at the
cemetery, which was established in 1864 as a burial place for Union soldiers
who died in Louisiana hospitals during the Civil War. Troops who served in
conflicts ranging from the War of 1812 to the Vietnam War are buried there. 

 

Hurricane Katrina severely damaged both the cemetery and battlefield in
2005, destroying the battlefield visitor center as well as 2500 feet of the
brick wall surrounding the cemetery and damaging other buildings on the
site. The cemetery rehabilitation is now complete and the last of the
battlefield projects, a new visitor center, will be completed this fall. The
cemetery and the battlefield are open 9:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m. daily and
admission is free.

-NPS-