BATON ROUGE, La. – The Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs (LDVA) Southeast Louisiana Veterans Home (SELVH) is hosting a Memorial Day Ceremony and Female Veteran Statue unveiling at 2 p.m. on Friday, May 24, at the Reserve, La. home.

The SELVH Memorial Day keynote speaker will be U.S. Army veteran Kyle Graham. LDVA Women Veterans Outreach Coordinator, Ms. Alex Juan, will speak on LDVA women veteran initiatives immediately following the ceremony and prior to the statue unveiling.

The LDVA is hosting nine poignant events that will each pay tribute to the members of our U.S. Armed Forces, from across all generations that answered the call to duty and paid the ultimate price in order to protect our freedoms.  The America we know today would not be the same were it not for the men and women we honor on Memorial Day.

“The “Memorial” in Memorial Day is often ignored by beneficiaries of the ultimate sacrifices made for us by the brave men and women who gave their last breath in defense of our country,” said LDVA Secretary Joey Strickland. “Often we do not observe this day as it should be, but I encourage all of you to consider taking a moment of solemn remembrance for our fallen and to find ways to honor the families these Louisianan’s left behind.

There are currently 28,407 female veterans living in Louisiana, and the LDVA is committed to addressing their needs and to helping connect them with one another. Honoring their service and sacrifice is one way that the LDVA is able to do that.

The SELVH event will start 1.p.m. in the large dining room where the U.S. Marine Corps Band from New Orleans will be playing patriotic music. The Memorial Day Ceremony will begin promptly at 2 p.m. and will include a tribute to SELVH residents that passed away in the past year. After the ceremony, guests will asked to go out to the front of the building where the Women Veterans Statue unveiling will happen.

This event is free and open to the public. Lights snacks and refreshments will be served courtesy of DOW Chemical.

The SELVH is located at 4080 West Airline Highway in Reserve, Louisiana. They can be reached by calling: (985) 479-4080.