KING OF PRUSSIA PA – A special commemoration that features a choral matins in remembrance of Memorial Day, and a 100-year-old World War II veteran as guest speaker, is scheduled for Monday (May 27, 2024) beginning at 11 a.m. at Washington Memorial Chapel, 2000 Valley Forge Rd. It will be followed by a barbecue luncheon.
The special service will “honor and pay respect to the brave men and women who valiantly lost their lives while serving in the U.S. military,” a chapel media release stated. Organized by the chapel’s Veteran’s Commission, the event is free to attend and open to the public. Online advance registration for the luncheon is required.
Combining prayers of healing and hope with the beautiful sounds of its choir, the choral matins offers what the chapel describes as “a profound and moving experience for those reflecting, mourning, and honoring our country’s heroes.
Guest speaker during the service will be U.S. veteran and China Medal of Honor Recipient Jack Goodrich. He served during World War II as an Air Force lieutenant and as a member of the Flying Tigers. He and other American volunteer pilots fought alongside the Chinese Air Force against Japanese forces before the United States officially entered the war.
Goodrich flew under Gen. Claire Lee Chennault in China as a “hump pilot” to fly supplies over the Himalayan Mountains into China, after the Japanese military cut off all other routes. In 2015, Goodrich received the Chinese Medal of Honor for those and other efforts during the war. Goodrich “is a fantastic story teller,” according to chapel Rector the Rev. Tommy A. Thompson, filled with non-fiction tales “from his own lived perspective during the war.”
The barbecue picnic will be held in the Bishop White Courtyard on the chapel grounds immediately following the choral matins.
The chapel Veterans Commission said it “exists to honor all those who have served our country; to show God’s love through service; to provide spiritual support to active members as well as fellow veterans and their families; and to help build stronger Christian relationships among veterans and surrounding communities.”
Annual flag replacement planned
The chapel website also announced volunteers would be busy Monday morning at 9 a.m. in replacing flags on the graves of all veterans interred in the chapel cemetery. The rain-or-shine activity can use as many hands as possible to ensure the work is quickly completed. Those interested in volunteering to assist should call Fred Kelly at 610-783-0120 Ext. 18.
Photo by Travels With The Post
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