5-20-2025 4:46am

Immortals Remembered

Jeff Barto Editor

Memorial Day Ceremony - Monday, May 26, 2025

The 58th annual Memorial Day Ceremony will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, May 26, 2025. Every year, on the last Monday in May, Dulaney Valley organizes one of Baltimore's most popular Memorial Day ceremonies. This event takes place in the Circle of Immortals section of the Field of Honor garden. It is a traditional and patriotic gathering that pays tribute to all brave Marylanders who have made the ultimate sacrifice in service of our country.

The 2024 Memorial Day Ceremony recording is available on our Facebook page.

We invite you to join us for our 58th annual Memorial Day ceremony on Monday, May 26th, at 10 a.m. The ceremony honors fallen service members with ties to Maryland and pays tribute to all members of the Armed Forces who have paid the highest price in defense of our nation.

On the last Monday in May, Dulaney Valley hosts one of the best-known Memorial Day ceremonies in the Baltimore area. The ceremony, held in the Circle of Immortals section of the Field of Honor is a traditional, patriotic gathering to honor all Maryland service men and women who gave their lives to preserve our freedom. The observance is open to the public, rain or shine.

The ceremony will also be livestreamed on Facebook Live on our Facebook page.

Among those who will be honored are:

Petty Officer Second Class Jack M. Brown, U.S. Navy, of Crofton, MD; died May 22, 2024.

Lieutenant Colonel Mickey M. West, Jr., U.S. Army, of Aberdeen, MD; died June 4, 2024.

Private First Class Charles M. Hyman, U.S. Army, of Baltimore, MD; died June 8, 2024.

Staff Sergeant Sean A. Lange, U.S. Army, of New Market, MD; died August 25, 2024.

Master Sergeant Justin S. Keirn, U.S. Air Force, of Bel Air, MD; died October 16, 2024.

Senior Airman Gregory K. Riley, Jr., U.S. Air Force, of Aberdeen, MD; died November 17, 2024.

Specialist William T. Brown III, U.S. Army, of Baltimore, MD; died December 17, 2024.

Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew L. Eaves, U.S. Army, of Great Mills, MD; died January 29, 2025.

Specialist Jacob W. Mullen, U.S. Army, of Fruitland, MD; died January 30, 2025.

Staff Sergeant Jared A. Finnerty, U.S. Army, of Pasadena, MD; died February 16, 2025.

Note: To be honored at the 2026 Memorial Day ceremony:

Specialist Stephen Y. Akinlotan, U.S. Army, who died March 10, 2025;

Private First Class Davon T. Moore, U.S. Army, who died April 4, 2025; and

Petty Officer First Class Dakota B. Collison, U.S. Navy, who died April 9, 2025.

Delivering memorial addresses will be:

Congressman John A. Olszewski, Jr. A life-long Marylander, Congressman Olszewski serves as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Maryland's 2nd congressional district.

Major General Janeen L. Birckhead, The Adjutant General of the Maryland National Guard. MG Birckhead serves as an advisor to the Governor of Maryland and is responsible for leading a force of over 6300 soldiers, airmen, and federal and state employees. MG Birckhead most recently served as the Commander of the Maryland Army National Guard and as the Deputy Commandant for Reserve Affairs at the U.S. Army War College.

U.S. Navy Commander (Ret.) Frank T. Goertner, Director for Federal and Veteran Affairs at University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business. Frank Goertner is a veteran naval aviator, foreign area officer, personnel chief and maritime strategist.

The ceremony emcee is Alan Walden, Broadcast Journalist, Author and Historian. Alan has been the voice of the annual Memorial Day ceremony at Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens for more than 30 years.

A tradition of the annual Memorial Day ceremony is to recognize a Maryland non-profit organization that supports our military members and underscores the significance of Memorial Day. This year the ceremony will honor the Warrior Music Foundation, an organization that works to serve “active duty military, veterans and their families by providing a venue for learning, healing and camaraderie using music.” The foundation offers free music therapy and music lessons.

The Memorial Day observance, which is open to the public, will include a wreath placement, tributes to those lost, TAPS and a 21-gun salute. The United States flag will be flown at half-staff from sunrise until noon, per Memorial Day protocol.

A Maryland Army National Guard UH-72 Lakota helicopter assigned to the 29th Expeditionary Combat Aviation Brigade will be on site for the ceremony.

“It is our great honor to host the annual Memorial Day ceremony. Each year as we gather to honor and remember the service members who have made the ultimate sacrifice, our hearts are heavy but are also filled with gratitude as we pay our respects,” said Jack Mitchell, President of Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens.

Participants:

Color Guard Units: Marines 4th Combat Engineer Battalion, Patriot Guard Riders Flag Line, Knights of Columbus, U.S. Naval Sea Cadet Corps/ Fort McHenry Division, Nam Knights of America MC/ Fort McHenry Chapter.

229th Army Band, Maryland Army National Guard.

Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) Matthew Ortega, Chaplain

Maryland National Guard Honor Guard Firing Party and Color Guard.

U.S. Naval Sea Cadets to recite the Pledge of Allegiance.

Piper Robert McCurdy.

Dundalk Sweet Adelines will perform a patriotic medley.

In honor of the Marylanders who died on September 11, 2001, and all who have given their lives in service to this country, Maryland's 9/11 Rolling Memorial will be on site. Chuck Ritz of the Hope and Peace Foundation will toll the bell that is housed on the Memorial as we honor members of the military who have been lost in service to our country.

Note Flag Placement: On May 24, 2025, the Saturday prior to Monday’s Memorial Day ceremony, local community groups, Calvert Hall College High School veterans and family members, as well as members of the U.S. Naval Sea Cadets will place 3,500 United States flags on the gravesites of veterans. Flag placement will start at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday.

History of Memorial Day at Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens: 2025 marks the 58th anniversary of the Memorial Day ceremony held in Dulaney Valley’s Circle of Immortals, an area dedicated in 1967 and reserved for Marylanders killed in action. Twenty-six service members who died in Vietnam are buried within the Circle. The area is also home to the official Baltimore County World War II/Korean War Memorial, dedicated in 1998; and The Children of Liberty Memorial, which was added to the Circle in 1990 and is dedicated to Maryland servicemembers who died at the hands of terrorists. It includes a plaque dedicated to the seven Maryland service members who lost their lives in the 1991 Liberation of Kuwait, the names of the three Maryland servicemembers killed in 2000 aboard the USS Cole and the names of the service members killed in the September 11, 2001, attack on the Pentagon. John O. Mitchell III and John O. (Jack) Mitchell IV, owners of the cemetery, are proud to continue the tradition of remembering and honoring our dedicated service men and women as we pay our respects on Memorial Day.

Field of Honor, spanning six and one-half acres, was dedicated in 1967. The garden is preferred by veterans of the armed forces of the United States along with their families.

Circle of the Immortals

The Circle of the Immortals is reserved for Marylanders killed in action. Dulaney Valley, without charge, provides complete cemetery arrangements for the service person. The space adjacent to the veteran site is available for a spouse. The official Baltimore County World War II and Korean War Memorial are located within the Circle of Immortals. Dulaney Valley hosts the annual Memorial Day Ceremony in the Circle.