Providence Journal photo / Frieda Squires
The Rhode Island Veterans Memorial Cemetery, located on 265 acres in Exeter, is the state's military cemetery. It contains 31 monuments dedicated to veterans of specific wars and conflicts. Take a tour of other monuments and memorials around the state.
EXETER, R.I. -- Around 7 this Sunday morning, a few dozen people will gather in the back sections of the Rhode Island Veterans Memorial Cemetery, where the Vietnam War Memorial stands near woodland, to remember. Six hours later, others will come to a small rise in the middle of the main section, at the World War II Memorial, to remember.
In between, and after, it will be a busy day at the cemetery. Daniel Evangelista, chief of veterans affairs for the state Department of Human Services, said officials expect more than a thousand people will visit, with around half attending the 1 p.m. ceremony.
It's a pattern that will play out across the state in parades in North Providence, Coventry and Barrington; in wreath-laying ceremonies in Lincoln and North Kingstown; and in private moments, like visitors at graves or someone stopping at an intersection to put a red-white-and-blue ribbon on a small plaque that bears the name of a fallen neighborhood soldier, sailor, Marine or air service member.
It's hard to miss the point of a memorial in a cemetery. But for most of the year, the monuments in the state's public places blend in with the rest of the urban landscape, said Sarah Zurier, an historic preservation specialist at the state Historical Preservation and Heritage Commission.
It's different today.
The Providence Journal marks this day, with the launch of its interactive map locating war memorials around Rhode Island. We'll be adding to it, with your help, through the year, aiming to finish the collection by Veterans Day in November.