STAFFORD, Va. – Stafford County will honor America’s fallen heroes with a special Memorial Day Ceremony on Friday, May 23, 2025, at 10 a.m. The event will be held at the Armed Services Memorial on the campus of the George L. Gordon, Jr., Government Center, located at 1300 Courthouse Road in Stafford.
This year’s program will feature a special appearance by The Old Guard, the U.S. Army’s Third Infantry Regiment. Known as the Army’s official ceremonial unit and the escort to the president, The Old Guard performs military honors at Arlington National Cemetery, guards the Tomb of the Unknowns around the clock, and represents the Army at ceremonies in the nation’s capital and beyond.
Lester Evans, a retired Marine Corps Lt. Colonel and President of Rolling Thunder, Inc., VA 3, will deliver keynote remarks. Evans, a Stafford resident, has long participated in the county’s Memorial Day observances and brings decades of military service experience, including humanitarian missions and operations during Desert Shield and Desert Storm.
“Memorial Day is a solemn reminder that the freedoms we enjoy were paid for by those who gave everything so that we might live in safety, liberty and peace,” said Deuntay Diggs, Chairman of the Stafford County Board of Supervisors, in a county press release. “This will be a very special event with the incredible Old Guard supporting us and our keynote speaker, Lester Evans.”
The ceremony will also serve as Stafford’s official kickoff for Virginia’s 250th anniversary celebration, known as VA250, recognizing the people and events that shaped the nation. Residents can learn more and get involved at va250.org/stafford-county.
