WPAFB hosting Memorial Day roll call

WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE — The Air Force Research Laboratory’s 711th Human Performance Wing and the 88th Air Base Wing are co-sponsoring a Memorial Roll Call Ceremony beginning 9 a.m. Wednesday, May 23 at the National Museum of the United States Air Force outdoor Memorial Park.

The ceremony will honor around 2,800 fallen service members from 10 Miami Valley counties involved in conflicts from WWII to the present.

Col. Elena Oberg, Air Force Research Laboratory vice commander, will provide opening remarks. Gold Star family member and Air Force veteran Catherine Beers-Conrad will lay a Memorial Wreath and provide remarks. Her father, U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Jack Beers, was killed in action in Vietnam and posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for valor.

The keynote speaker will be Gold Star family member Alejandron Villalva whose relative died in 1945 as a Prisoner of War in Germany. Villalva worked in the Department of Defense’s casualty field for over 20 years. He currently works in the 711th’s Life Sciences Equipment Lab.

“Memorial Day weekend is a time for us all to reflect on the sacrifices these men and women have made to our great country,” said Tech. Sgt. Jasmine Archuleta, the Military Training assistant flight chief and co-organizer of this event. “We are all thankful for them, and it is truly an honor to recognize them during this roll call.”

In the case of inclement weather, the ceremony will be held at the Prairies Chapel Annex. This event is open to the public.