(WFXR) — Monday is Memorial Day, a holiday meant to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice to protect our nation.

Multiple events are taking place in southwest and central Virginia on Monday, May 30 in order to remember those who died serving our country, including the following:

BEDFORD COUNTY:

The National D-Day Memorial in Bedford will hold its annual Memorial Day observance at 11 a.m., featuring a keynote address from Navy pilot turned motivational speaker, Dave Carey, followed by a book signing.

As a Navy carrier pilot during Vietnam, a surface-to-air missile destroyed Dave Carey’s aircraft as he flew a combat mission over North Vietnam. He spent the following five and a half years as a POW incarcerated in numerous Vietnamese prisons. Today as a motivational speaker, Carey relates his experiences as a POW to help people better understand the prison-like aspects they may experience in their personal and professional lives. His personal story, told with intensity and humor, inspires and empowers others to overcome seemingly insurmountable difficulties and gain a renewed sense of purpose, satisfaction, and control over their circumstances.

National D-Day Memorial

According to organizers, the memorial gates will open at 10 a.m., with free admission until noon. Guests are encouraged to bring a chair, but no coolers or pets — except for service animals — are allowed. If you cannot make it the in-person event, you can watch a livestream on Facebook at 11 a.m.

In what has become a Memorial Day tradition, the Bedford memorial says guests can view the Fallen Soldier Battle Cross display on the west lawn — across from the gift shop — which display honors America’s fallen in current and past conflicts, dating back to the War of Independence.

You are encouraged to bring fresh-cut flowers to the Memorial Day ceremony so they can be used during a special remembrance of the Bedford Boys Monday afternoon.

The National D-Day Memorial and the Bedford International Alliance are set to gather at 2 p.m. on Memorial Day at the Longwood-Oakwood-Greenwood Cemetery to lay flowers on the graves of each Bedford Boy killed in action on June 6, 1944 and laid to rest there. The program will take place on the side of the cemetery closest to Longwood Avenue Baptist Church and Walnut Street.

PULASKI COUNTY:

According to the Virginia Department of Veterans Services, the annual Memorial Day Ceremony starts at 9:30 a.m. on Monday — although participants are asked to arrive by 9 a.m. — at the Southwest Virginia Veterans Cemetery in Dublin.

This event not only honors all the men and woman who made the ultimate sacrifice to serve the United States since the Revolutionary War, but it is also free and open to the public.

The keynote speaker will be retired Maj. Gen. Randal D. Fullhart of the U.S. Air Force, with Dr. Terry Wildman serving as the Master of Ceremonies, music by the 29th Division Band, and veterans and family members as special guests.

Flags have already been placed at all graves by members of the Southwest Virginia Veterans Cemetery volunteers ahead of ceremony.