Tuscaloosa Veterans Memorial Park to host annual Memorial Day ceremony

The Tuscaloosa community is invited to a Memorial Day program that will honor all military service members who died while serving in the U.S. armed forces.

The ceremony will begin at 9 a.m. May 27 at Tuscaloosa Veterans Memorial Park, 1701 McFarland Blvd. E. in front of University Mall.

The Memorial Day program is free and open to the public. The Tuscaloosa County Park and Recreation Authority’s Veterans Memorial Park Association organizes the program in conjunction with the Tuscaloosa VA Medical Center and the University of Alabama Office of Veteran and Military Affairs.

Lt. Col. Stephen Kaye, who served in the Army Special Forces, also known as the Green Berets, will be the program's keynote speaker. Kaye was also president and chief executive officer of the Tuscaloosa YMCA for two decades.

During his military career, which included serving in combat zones around the globe, Kaye earned the Combat Infantry Badge, Master Wings, the Legion of Merit, three Meritorious Service Medals and the Bronze Star, among other awards.

Veterans Memorial Park, the site of the ceremony, was developed as a memorial for all U.S. armed forces veterans and as a tribute to Northington General Army Hospital, one of the largest military hospitals in the world at the end of World War II. When the hospital closed, it was stipulated that the 1-acre site could only be used as a shrine, a memorial to veterans or a denominational church.

The park was first dedicated in 1978 as a memorial for veterans of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard and rededicated in 1997. The park is also home to the annual Veterans Day ceremony each November.

In case of inclement weather, the program will move to the sports atrium in Building 137 at the Tuscaloosa Veterans Affairs Medical Center, 3701 Loop Road. PARA will provide weather updates as needed on its website and social media channels by 7 a.m. May 27.

Reach Ken Roberts at ken.roberts@tuscaloosanews.com.

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