Coachella Valley events to commemorate Memorial Day

Here is a list of a few events for people in the Coachella Valley and beyond to take part in while commemorating Memorial Day and remembering people who've paid the ultimate sacrifice while serving in the U.S. Armed Forces.

The information below was provided to News Channel 3 from the organizations sponsoring the events.

PALM SPRINGS AIR MUSEUM'S MEMORIAL DAY CEREMONY:

"Palm Desert, CA; May 20, 2020: Although the Palm Springs Air Museum is closed to the public, planes will fly and the public can view the ceremony and plane departures via the Palm Springs Air Museum’s webcam, online at PalmSpringsAirMuseum.com

On Memorial Day, Monday, May 25, 2020 starting at 10:45am, the Palm Springs Air Museum's webcam will stream live for the public the staging of pilots and vintage warbirds as they prepare for a short Memorial Day ceremony with Pipe Band, burial flag presentations to pilots and take off of five vintage warbirds into the sky.

At 11 am, the formal program will begin: Vice Chairman Fred Bell will give a brief welcome and explanation of the ceremony. One burial flag will be presented to each of the 5 pilots while the Palm Springs Pipe Band plays: The aircraft and honorees are as follows:

-P-63 Kingcobra: Cpl Joseph LaSalle, WWI

-P-51 Mustang: Lt. Col Robert Friend, WWII (Tuskegee Airman)

-T-33 Shooting Star: Col. Robert Gilliland, Korean War

-C-47 Skytrain: Maj Gen Kenneth Miles, Vietnam War

-T-28 Trojan: Col Ross Miles, Current Service

At 11:20 the 5 Aircraft start up and depart to fly over the Coachella Valley and then Southern California in honor of those who serve and served our country. The aircraft will then meet up with other warbirds over San Bernardino and fly over parts of Los Angeles and Orange Counties.

The Coachella Valley route goes from Palm Springs International Airport to Desert Hot Springs City Hall, Regional Memorial Park, Sun Line Transit Center, Sun City / Shadow Hills, Indio City Hall, John F. Kennedy Medical Center, Coachella City Hall, Coachella Valley Water District, Cochran Regional Airport, La Quinta City Hall, Indian Wells City Hall, Palm Desert City Hall, Eisenhower Medical Center, Rancho Mirage City Hall, Cathedral City’s City Hall, Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians’ Tribal Offices, Palm Springs City Hall, Desert Regional Hospital, Desert Memorial Park and the General Patton Museum. (Note: the order of locations is subject to change). These locations will receive a 2nd Fly Over at the end of the day, starting at 5 PM, in reverse order, as the five planes return to the Palm Springs Air Museum.

Link to videos of the aircraft: https://bit.ly/Frontline360

After the first fly over in the morning, these five aircraft will join other aircraft from the Inland Empire Wing of the CAF, Flabob Aviation Associates, and the Condor Squadron Threshold Technologies, Inc, over San Bernardino. All aircraft will then fly over the following locations in Southern California: Loma Linda VA Medical Center, Riverside National Cemetery, CHOC Children’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at St. Joseph’s Hospital (Orange), John Wayne Airport, Pacific View Memorial Park (Tuskegee Airman Lt. Col. Bob Friend’s grave), Newport Beach, Long Beach VA Hospital, The Queen Mary, USS Iowa, Green Hills Memorial Park, Torrance Airport, LAX, Santa Monica Airport, LA National Cemetery, UCLA Medical Center, USC Medical Center, City of Hope, and finally Chino Airport. After lunch and a break, the Palm Springs Air Museum warbirds will return to the valley for a second flyover starting at 5 PM, probably in reverse order from the morning fly over.

The Palm Springs Air Museum is an educational non-profit organization whose mission is to preserve and honor our veterans while educating future generations. One of the largest collections of flying WWII aircraft, plus Korea and Vietnam era aircraft, 9,500 volume Library, flight simulators and tours through a flyable B-17 are housed in 86,000 square feet of climate-controlled exhibit space. Currently closed due to Covid-19, the Palm Springs Air Museum hosts weekly Warbird Wednesdays on YouTube. PSAirMuseum.org"

GENERAL PATTON MUSEUM:

"General Patton Museum cancels annual Memorial Day Celebration

The General Patton Memorial Museum in Chiriaco Summit announced today that its annual Memorial Day ceremony will not take place this year due to coronavirus concerns.

The museum, which is closed in accordance with the state's emergency
health orders, has hosted a Memorial Day celebration for the last 31 years.

In the past, the celebration has featured WWII plane flyovers and a
live military band.

Instead, the museum this year will honor military personnel who died
in the line of duty with wreaths and tank displays only, according to Tom Freeman, the museum's master of ceremonies.

He said visitors will be able to see the tank displays from the
parking area at the facility, located at 62510 Chiriaco Rd."

FOREST LAWN MEMORIAL ANNUAL MEMORIAL DAY COMMEMORATION:

"Each year, Forest Lawn's annual Memorial Day Commemoration brings thousands of viewers to all six of its Southern California memorial parks to honor military members who have given their lives to protect our country. While the stay-at-home restrictions keep the memorial park from hosting Memorial Day commemorations in person, Forest Lawn will hold a live virtual celebration on Monday, March 25 at 10:00 AM (which will also be available for later viewing) via Facebook live (https://www.facebook.com/ForestLawn/) with the patriotic fanfare that has endeared this signature celebration into the hearts of all the communities Forest Lawn serves.

Featured performers and speakers include:
• Scottish Bagpipes and Drums by Harry Farrar
• Patriotic music performances
• Presidential proclamation read by Ismael Guzman, U.S. Marines
• Special message from LA City Hall from Controller Ron Galperin
• Opening and closing remarks, an invocation and benediction, patriotic spoken word, and more
For news crews interested in day-of coverage, the event will take place at Forest Lawn—Glendale, which provides space for socially distanced filming. Please inquire for further information.

In addition to Memorial Day, Forest Lawn is making plans to bring their acclaimed series of virtual events to their communities across Southern California for the remainder of the year. The memorial park remains committed to helping their communities through this challenging time with virtual funeral services, expert grief counselors, and of course, six picturesque locations ready to welcome families and friends to visit the gravesites of loved ones or the public to enjoy scenic, socially distanced walks."