Fort Walton Beach, Florida – Fort Walton Beach will pause soon for one of its most solemn community traditions, as residents, veterans, families and local leaders gather to remember those who served the nation and have since passed on.
The Beal Memorial Veterans Tribute Tower Committee is scheduled to host the traditional Memorial Day Ceremony at Beal Memorial Cemetery on Monday, May 25, 2026, beginning at 10 a.m. The annual observance will bring the community together in a setting already deeply tied to military service, remembrance and the families who continue to carry those legacies forward.
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At the center of the ceremony will be a tribute to veterans who have died since last Memorial Day. Their names will be remembered publicly, giving families and guests a quiet moment to reflect on lives shaped by service and sacrifice. The ceremony is also expected to include a community wreath, where guests will be encouraged to take part by placing small bouquets during the observance.
The event will also include the participation of local dignitaries, along with Fort Walton Beach High School Air Force Junior ROTC Cadets. The cadets will present the Colors during the ceremony, adding a formal and meaningful element to the morning program.
Their role in this year’s observance reaches beyond the ceremony itself. The cadets will also have honored the more than two thousand veterans laid to rest at Beal Memorial Cemetery by placing flags and rendering a hand salute at each final resting place. That effort gives the day a personal touch, marking each grave not as a number, but as the resting place of someone who once wore the uniform and served.
Memorial Day ceremonies often speak through simple gestures: a flag, a salute, a name read aloud, a flower placed with care. In Fort Walton Beach, those gestures will come together at Beal Memorial Cemetery as the community honors veterans from across generations.
Organizers have also prepared a backup plan in case weather interrupts the outdoor ceremony. If inclement weather occurs, the event will be moved to American Legion Post #235, located at 105 Hollywood Boulevard NW.
For more information about the Memorial Day Ceremony, the public may contact Tom Rice at 850-302-0266.
