It’s not about picnics or cookouts or a pickup baseball game or an afternoon at the beach. All those are good; all those absolutely are Memorial Day traditions.
But the real reason for Memorial Day is right there in the name: It’s when we remember.
Join us this Sunday, May 25, at 10 a.m. for the 37th annual Memorial Day Observance at the War Memorial Natatorium. Honor the sacred memory of America’s fallen heroes, and especially those from Hawaii who paid the ultimate price for freedom.
The ceremony will take place as always on the lawn fronting the War Memorial Natatorium at 2815 Kalakaua Ave. in Waikiki. The Natatorium is Hawaii’s official World War I memorial.
[Please note: This event is on Sunday, not on the official Monday holiday.] 
Speakers this year include Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi, Air Force Maj. Gen. Christopher Faurot, and Jill Byus Radke, a historic preservation specialist and expert on the history of the Natatorium.
Also participating are a military color guard and rifle detail, Halau Lilia Makanoe, and bag pipers from Celtic Kula Pipe Band of Hawaii. Veterans will present lei in memory of their fallen comrades. A rifle volley and bugler sounding Taps will close the event.
The Friends of the Natatorium have sponsored this annual Memorial Day Weekend ceremony since 1989.
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