Honor guard, wreath ceremony. Honor the fallen at this Pines Memorial Day event
Memorial Day is fast approaching, and with it, a Pembroke Pines celebration to honor, pause and reflect on those who sacrificed their lives while in service.
All residents are invited to a Memorial Day Observance ceremony on Monday, May 25, at Donnith H. Fletcher Park, 7500 Johnson St., to recognize fallen servicemembers in the city and nationwide.
Attendees will gather at the park at 9 a.m. and a “presentation of colors” by the Pembroke Pines Police and Fire Honor Guard — volunteer first responders who represent both agencies during ceremonial events — will kick off the event.
That will be followed by a wreath-placing ceremony in which veterans, community leaders and special guests will pay tribute.
Donnith H. Fletcher Park, which has a playground, four softball fields and two batting cages, was named in 1971 in honor of the first Pembroke Pines resident to die in the Vietnam War.
On June 30, 1970, a 21-year-old Fletcher was serving in the Phuoc Long province and was aboard a helicopter with seven other soliders when the aircraft was shot down.
His home of record is listed as West Hollywood, what Pembroke Pines was often dubbed in its early years, by the Vietnam Veteran Memorial Fund.
The McArthur High School graduate was drafted into the Army in 1969 and served as a sharpshooter and machine gunner, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reported in 1993
Fletcher was posthumously awarded a Purple Heart, given to military personnel wounded or killed in action.
For more information on Pembroke Pines’ Memorial Day Observance, call 954-392-2116.
