Community honors fallen at USS Turner Joy Memorial Day ceremony

By Staff report • May 27, 2025 1:30 am
Corey Monson courtesy photos The annual event honors fallen service members with a color guard presentation, rifle salute, and wreath laying.
Corey Monson courtesy photos The annual event honors fallen service members with a color guard presentation, rifle salute, and wreath laying.

Dozens gathered May 26 on the fantail of the historic destroyer USS Turner Joy in downtown Bremerton to commemorate Memorial Day.

The ceremony, hosted by the Bremerton-Olympic Peninsula Council of the U.S. Navy League, featured a color guard presentation by the local Sea Cadet Squadron, a rifle salute, and the playing of taps.

Retired Army Col. William Reeder, a decorated helicopter pilot and former prisoner of war, delivered the keynote address. The event concluded with the solemn laying of a memorial wreath into the water to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice. Former Bremerton mayor and council president Patty Lent served as master of ceremonies.

Following the ceremony, attendees gathered aboard the ship’s crew mess for coffee and donuts.