Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens To Host 56th Annual Memorial Day Ceremony Honoring Maryland's Fallen Heroes

BALTIMORE COUNTY - On May 29, Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens in Timonium will host its 56th annual Memorial Day ceremony to honor Maryland's fallen military personnel. The public ceremony will commence at 10:00 a.m. at the Circle of the Immortals monument.

The tribute will recognize fallen service members, including those whose remains were recently identified from WWII and the Korean War and who have been interred in their hometowns. Among them were Seaman First Class William Brooks, Corporal Donald E. Angle, and Sergeant Roy C. DeLauter. They will be commemorated with a wreath placement at the World War II/Korean War Memorial located in the garden. Additionally, Airman Makai Cummings, who recently passed away, will be remembered with a moment of silence.

The ceremony will feature several speakers, including Baltimore County Executive John "Johnny O" Olszewski, Jr., Colonel Louis P. Hawkins of the US Army, and Cpl. Wayne L. Miller, a Vietnam veteran and recipient of the Purple Heart. Miller, who is also the Director of the Vet Center, will deliver the keynote speech and sing the national anthem.

Terrence O. Stamps, the son of Marine Staff Sergeant Oliver Clifton Stamps, will also speak at the event. SSGT Stamps, a casualty of the Vietnam War, was posthumously awarded the Silver Star for his heroic actions in saving his platoon.

This year, the ceremony will acknowledge the Vietnam War 50th Year Commemoration, a 13-year nationwide initiative to honor Vietnam veterans and their families. Also, the Maryland Chapter of Heroes on the Water, a local non-profit that supports veterans, will be recognized.

The Memorial Day observance will comprise a wreath placement, TAPS, a 21-gun salute, and a live-streamed ceremony in keeping with Memorial Day protocol. The United States flag will be flown at half-staff from sunrise until noon.

The ceremony will continue a long-standing tradition at Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens of honoring Maryland's military personnel who made the ultimate sacrifice. For those interested, the ceremony will also be accessible through live-streaming on the garden's Facebook page.

Among those who will be honored are:

*Seaman First Class William Brooks, US Navy, of Glen Burnie, MD; killed December 7, 1941, WWII at Pearl Harbor aboard USS Oklahoma; remains identified; laid to rest next to his brother in Maryland, July 16, 2022.

*Corporal Donald E. Angle, US Army, of Clear Spring, MD; killed in the Korean War on July 25, 1950; remains identified; laid to rest in Pennsylvania on October 6, 2019.

*Sergeant Roy C. DeLauter, US Army, of Smithsburg, MD; killed in the Korean War, December 1, 1950; remains identified; laid to rest in Maryland on April 22, 2022.

*CSSA Tan Phat Nguyen, US Navy, of Severn, MD; died May 20, 2022.

*Specialist Joshua R. Graves, Jr., US Army, of Glen Burnie, MD, died July 15, 2022.

*Midshipman Second Class Luke G. Bird, US Navy, Naval Academy, MD; died July 16, 2022.

*Second Lieutenant William S. Kilmon, US Army, Havre de Grace, MD; died October 2, 2022.

*Airman First Class Samy Tchassem Tcheuffa, US Air Force, of Oxen Hill, MD, died December 13, 2022.

*Petty Officer Second Class Brandon M. Murrmann, US Navy, of Glen Burnie, MD; died January 2, 2023.

*Captain Kenneth C. Motsay, USMC, of Arbutus, MD, died February 13, 2023.

*Specialist Tyler C. Blair, US Army of Baltimore, MD, died February 28, 2023.

*Note: A moment of silence will be held to remember Airman Makai Cummings, U.S. Air Force, of Baltimore, MD, who died May 8, 2023. Airman Cummings, laid to rest at Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens, will be honored at the 2024 Memorial Day observance.