VA Augusta hosts Memorial Day ceremony with American Legion Riders

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – VA Augusta and the American Legion Riders held a Memorial Day ceremony Sunday morning to honor service members who died in military service.

The Ride 2 Remember event took place at 11 a.m. at the VA Augusta Uptown campus at 1 Freedom Way. The ceremony included a motorcycle tribute ride and wreath-laying.

Thomas Pinckney, senior department vice commander for the American Legion Department of Georgia, said Memorial Day serves a specific purpose for veterans.

“Memorial Day is a day of remembrance for our fallen comrades, the ones that didn’t make it back home,” said Pinckney, who served 20 years in the military. “A lot of people say Memorial Day is a day to have barbecues and have parties or what have you. But for a veteran, that’s not what it’s about.”

Pinckney said the holiday is often confused with Veterans Day.

“People sometimes forget what Memorial Day is, and Memorial Day is for the dead, and Veterans Day is for the living,” he said. “We want to make sure that we honor the people that gave that ultimate sacrifice.”

Casey Zwirtz, acting associate director for VA Augusta, said the event brought together multiple groups to support veterans.

“It’s very important for us as the VA to be able to celebrate Memorial Day and celebrate those that had fought for us and died,” Zwirtz said. “We were here to pay our respects to them and to even to those that are still uniformed and those that have hung them up.”

The VA’s volunteer services collaborated with the American Legion Riders to organize the event. Zwirtz said the ceremony allows veterans to support each other and remember those who have died.

“I think that veterans are excited to be here and be able to support each other and be able to provide comfort and remember those that have fallen and be able to continue their legacy long term,” Zwirtz said.

VA Augusta inpatients, staff, community veterans and American Legion Riders attended the ceremony.