Friday Harbor American Legion to honor veterans on Memorial Day

By Hayley Day • May 31, 2017 8:13 am
Staff photo Veterans salute during the 2014 Memorial Day parade in Friday Harbor.
Staff photo Veterans salute during the 2014 Memorial Day parade in Friday Harbor.

Retired Army Staff Sargent Shannon Plummer will never say “Happy Memorial Day.”

“It’s one of the most somber days for us to pay respect for those who didn’t come back,” said Plummer. “It’s ‘good Memorial Day,’ because it’s a good day to remember veterans, but not a happy day for why we are remembering them.”

On Monday, May 29, Plummer will be the guest speaker at the American Legion Post 163’s Memorial Day event at Memorial Park, located at the Spring Street roundabout by the waterfront in Friday Harbor. To the right of the podium will be veterans from each military branch, to the left, the widows of those who didn’t return.

At 11:30 a.m., veterans and local boys scouts will march down Spring Street to Memorial Park. The national anthem will be sung and the event will end at about 12:30 p.m.

Check out this article to view photos of this year’s event.

An earlier version of this article said the event would take place from about 10 to 11 a.m. The event was pushed back to avoid traffic unloading from the ferry, and it occurred from about 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.