Memorial Day Ceremony

Date: Monday, May 26

Time: 10 AM

Cost: Free to attend

Location: Olympia

Join the Independence Seaport Museum and The Chapel of Four Chaplains as we gather aboard Olympia for our annual Memorial Day ceremony, where we remember and honor all who made the ultimate sacrifice in defending our nation.

This year's featured speaker is Ms. Monica Hallman, who currently serves as the vice president for Homecoming 250, a nonprofit organizing and hosting the events and celebrations commemorating 250 years of the Navy and Marine Corps in Philadelphia in 2025.

Ms. Hallman served in the U.S. Navy for 22 years, starting as a deck seaman and then as a journalist, broadcast journalist and public affairs specialist. She was the evening anchor in Naples, Italy, Sigonella, Sicily and then anchored Navy/Marine Corps News, the Navy’s premier television product. Her final duty station was with Navy Recruiting District Philadelphia as a Public Affairs Officer, handling communication duties for the areas of Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Maryland and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

After the service, she was the communicator/spokesperson at Lockheed Martin in Owego, New York, for the Presidential Helicopter Program and Naval Helicopters Program. She relocated to Washington, D.C. to work at Navy International Programs Office, and subsequently at Cobham PLC and L-3 National Security Systems as their Director of Marketing and Communications.

Ms. Hallman also taught Communications and Public Relations courses at Ithaca College as an Adjunct Professor.

Ms. Hallman has been awarded numerous honors and medals, including half a dozen broadcast awards. She has served as a judge on award panels for the Navy, and helped create the Navy.mil site.

She currently teaches Public Speaking at Rowan University. She is a member of the American Legion Post 405, the Philadelphia Navy League and the Union League Veterans Alliance Table.

In addition to Ms. Hallman, other participants in the ceremony include:

• LTC William Manley & Civil Air Patrol Honor Guard (Representing the Auxiliary of the United States Air Force), who will present the colors.
• Jillian Pirtle, from The Marian Anderson Historical Society, will perform the National Anthem.
• Chaplain Justin Cohen, from The Chapel of Four Chaplains, will offer the Invocation.
• Dr. Joi Spraggins, Chapel Coordinator at Legacy Bridges STEM Academy, Inc.
• MS3(SS) Earl C. Wightman, who is a representative of the Local Commandery, Philadelphia & Delaware Valley of the Naval Order of the United States.
• Captain Louis A. Cavaliere, US Navy (Ret.), from The Chapel of Four Chaplains.
• Reverend William Rex, from The Port of Philadelphia and South Jersey, will offer the Benediction.
• Aidan Peterson, from Bugles Across America, will perform TAPS.