Come together with friends and neighbors on May 25 to honor those men and women in our military who bravely sacrificed for us all.

Milton’s Annual Memorial Day Ceremony will start at 10 a.m. that Monday on the Green at Crabapple Market. This always moving event is open to all to reflect and celebrate on fallen veterans who nobly served in all military branches during conflicts around the world. 

This 2026 edition has special meaning tracing back to the Revolutionary War, which made our nation possible. So it is part of our community’s America250 commemoration, along with historical presentations and more. (For a round-up of Georgia happenings tied to the country’s milestone birthday, go to https://exploregeorgia.org/ga250.) 

The keynote speaker for the City of Milton’s May 25 ceremony will be 1^st Lt. Ginny Dornheggen (Ret.), a recent inductee into the Georgia Military Veterans Hall of Fame. A Pennsylvania native who later established roots in Georgia, Dornheggen joined the Army Student Nurse program during her final year of nursing school. She went on to provide medical care at Fort Sam Houston, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, and in Vietnam – specifically the 67^th Evacuation Hospital in Qui Nhon, in an orthopedic ward and in an emergency room.   

1^st Lt. Dornheggen, who earned a Bronze Star Medal for meritorious service in a combat zone, completed her active-duty service and ended up working 43 years in nursing. She’s since been active in sharing stories from her time as an Army nurse, including as part of an Atlanta History Museum project and the first chapter of a book (Women in War) chronicling the stories of women who served in combat. 

Milton’s May 25 event also will feature a live rendition of the National Anthem, the solemn playing of bagpipes, as well as remarks by Mayor Peyton Jamison and key figures in the local veterans community. Like last year, a Vietnam War-era helicopter will be on-site for viewing as well. 

Anyone is welcome at this ceremony, free of charge. Still, to help with our planning, please email rsvp@miltonga.gov by May 18 with the names and number of people in your group who plan to attend.