[StBernard] Memorial Day at Chalmette National Cemetery

Westley Annis Westley at da-parish.com
Tue May 17 20:56:17 EDT 2011


Memorial Day Events 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 29, at Chalmette National
Cemetery, 8606 West St. Bernard Highway, Chalmette. The public is invited.
For more information, call 504-382-0315 or visit www.nps.gov/jela.

The ceremony will include a color guard, bagpiper, 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 should call 504-281-0510 to sign up for the Memorial Day
volunteer projects. Volunteers are welcome to work as little or as much of
these projects as they like.
* On Friday, May 27, 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 3-4 hours. The project requires walking and bending over.
Volunteers will be outdoors in possible hot, humid, and buggy conditions and
should be prepared with sunscreen and bug spray.
* 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 3-4 hours. Picking up the flags requires walking and bending
over. Volunteers will be outdoors in possible hot, humid, and buggy
conditions and should be prepared with sunscreen and bug spray. The
repackaging of 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.

The cemetery, the battlefield, and the new visitor center are open 9:00
a.m.-4:30 p.m. daily and admission is free. More information is available at
504-281-0510 or at www.nps.gov/jela.

-NPS





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