A Time to Honor - Memorial Day

A day of remembrance for those who have died serving in the United States military, Memorial Day is held each year on the last Monday of May. Originally known as Decoration Day, the holiday only honored those lost in the Civil War. The tradition began during the Civil War when various towns and cities across the U.S. began holding annual celebrations highlighted by the decorating of the graves of soldiers. The tradition continued and evolved to commemorate all military personnel and become a federal holiday in 1971.

Caleb Vadnais, Director of the Veterans Resource and Support Center at Southern Utah University, shares his thoughts on the tradition of Memorial Day in the Cedar City community.

“Cedar City is blessed to have a strong community in supporting their Veterans and active duty service members,” said Vadnais. “Cedar City has a long-standing history on each Memorial Day, the American Legion as part of the Iron County Veterans Coalition host the Memorial Day ceremony at the Cedar City Cemetery and every year the turn out continues to impress me as our community shows their support. I love our small community and the support that we receive from countless organizations and SUU.”

In his short time at SUU, Vadnais and his team have created new programs to assist Veteran students such as the creation and implementation of a Got Your Six training program, a Tutoring for Veterans program, and a Military-Connected Student Orientation.

He is familiar with the media and available for an interview. Simply visit his profile.

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