Dover, TN – The annual Memorial Day ceremony, Monday, May 27, as well as special interpretive programming, occurring Saturday, May 25, will highlight the activities of Fort Donelson National Cemetery and the Fort Donelson National Battlefield for the 2019 memorial weekend.
MEMORIAL DAY CEREMONY – Monday, May 27
On Monday, May 27, at 11 am, Fort Donelson National Cemetery will be the site of its annual memorial service, co-sponsored by the National Park Service and the Stewart County Veterans Affairs Office, with participation by Post 72 of the American Legion, Department of Tennessee, other veteran organizations, and local civic and scout groups.
Guest speaker for this year’s ceremony will be Dover, Tennessee, resident Ronald L. Welch. A native of West Virginia, in 1945, at the age of 15, Mr. Welch joined the Army Air Corps. He was soon sent to gunnery school in Spokane, Washington, where he was trained as a tail gunner on a B-29 Superfortress. Following his training, he was deployed to Guam and served as a military police officer. After his service in Guam, Mr. Welch was transferred to the 8th Air Force, and stationed at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona. Mr. Welch was honorably discharged in 1950.
“We invite everyone to join us as we remember the more than one-million service men and women who have honorably served and died in the defense of our nation, providing for, and maintaining the freedoms that we cherish.” added McCutchen.
Because of Memorial Day occurring in late May, and the national cemetery having minimal shade, those attending are encouraged to dress appropriately, bring bottled water, and, as seating is not provided, consider bringing a lawn chair or blanket.
In the event of inclement weather, attendees will be directed to the Cumberland Room of the Stewart County Visitor Center, located at 117 Visitor Center Lane, Dover
PRE-MEMORIAL DAY EVENTS – Saturday, May 25
Visitors are invited to join Park Rangers and Volunteers for a walking tour of the Fort Donelson National Cemetery, learning of the history of one of America’s earliest national cemeteries, and interesting stories of those interred there.
Those interested in attending this program should meet park staff at the entry gate of the cemetery at 10 am. Attendees are encouraged to dress appropriately for the weather, where comfortable shoes, and consider bringing a bottle of water. The Fort Donelson National Cemetery is located at 174 National Cemetery Drive, Dover.
Also on Saturday, starting at 12:30 pm., interpreters will be telling of the history and some interesting accounts of events that occurred at the Union garrison at Fort Donelson during the Federal occupation of Dover, 1862-1865. Live firing demonstrations of historic weapons will be part of the program.
The camp and demonstration area will open to the public at 12:30 p.m., and attendees are invited to tour, visit with the living-history interpreters, ask questions, and see camp-life “first hand.”
This encampment and program will be held in a field adjacent to the Fort Donelson Visitor Center parking lot, located at 120 Fort Donelson Park Road, Dover.
In the event of inclement weather, programs for Saturday may be cancelled. Please refer to the park’s official web page ( www.nps.gov/fodo ) or Facebook site
( www.facebook.com/fortdonelsonnps ). Rangers may be reached at 931-232-5706 x 0, during normal operating hours.