Memorial Day Content

United on Memorial Day

Cody Kitaura — May 28, 2024 - 11:46am

Even if we didn’t know them, our lives today are shaped by the sacrifices of the people who came before us, speakers at last week’s Memorial Day Ceremony said.

The ceremony honored the 136 Gold Star Aggies who died in military service to the United States, and was held Thursday (May 23) outside the Memorial Union, the building named in their honor.

A Fallen Aggie, 20 Years On

Cody Kitaura — May 13, 2024 - 9:00am

51�ԹϺ�� Davis will honor its 136 Gold Star Aggies — students and alumni who gave their lives in military service to the United States — at the university’s annual Memorial Day Ceremony on May 23. The event, on the Memorial Union’s North Courtyard, will feature campus and guest speakers, a rendition of the national anthem and a reading of all 136 names featured in the Golden Memory Book.

Memorial Day Ceremony Spurs Deep Thoughts

Cody Kitaura — May 30, 2023 - 10:34am

As a popular study spot, the Memorial Union is a common place for deep thought. Last week it became a place for the kind of deep thought reflected in its name as dozens gathered for the annual 51�ԹϺ�� Davis Memorial Day Ceremony, honoring Gold Star Aggies who died in military service to the United States.

Honoring Our Gold Star Aggies May 25

Cody Kitaura — May 16, 2023 - 11:00am

Nine Aggies who could have turned 100 years old this year never had the chance to do so.

Paying Tribute Beyond Memorial Day

Dave Jones — May 31, 2022 - 9:20pm

Photography by DJ Nicholson/51�ԹϺ�� Davis

Speakers at the Davis campus’s early Memorial Day Ceremony last Thursday (May 26) encouraged the audience and others to pay lasting tribute to the nation’s military casualties — including 136 Gold Star Aggies — by standing up for the American values for which they gave their lives.

Memorial Day Ceremony Returns in Person May 26

Cody Kitaura — May 24, 2022 - 1:14pm

William Gould Vann

Seventy years ago, William Gould Vann ’50 joined a U.S.

Aggies Reflect on Memorial Day

Cody Kitaura — May 24, 2021 - 4:52pm

A group of students will visit the Quad later this week, but they won’t be studying or relaxing. They’ll be arranging a series of American flags, one for each Gold Star Aggie the university has lost in military service to the United States. Those 136 flags stand as a reminder of Memorial Day and the meaning behind the Memorial Union, and take on extra importance in another year when a traditional ceremony can’t be held.

Memorial Day Speakers Send Virtual Remembrances

Cody Kitaura — May 19, 2020 - 12:00pm

The Memorial Union may be closed, but the military personnel for whom it stands in tribute are not forgotten.

The building, honoring Aggies who gave their lives in military service, would normally host 51�ԹϺ�� Davis’ annual Memorial Day Ceremony this Thursday (May 21) in advance of next week’s holiday. Instead, the in-person ceremony has been replaced with a video featuring some of the speakers and attendees who would have otherwise paid tribute to our country’s fallen.

Ceremony Honors Aggies’ Military Sacrifice

Cody Kitaura — May 24, 2019 - 3:30pm

Members of the campus community gathered outside the Memorial Union Thursday (May 23) to remember those students and alumni for whom it is named — the Gold Star Aggies who gave their lives in military service to the United States.

“We as a campus and a society must not forget them,” Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Ralph J. Hexter said. “Their ultimate sacrifice was made in service to the great idea and noble ideals for which our country stands, and so that the rest of us could enjoy security, well-being and freedom.”

Names of Gold Star Aggies to Ring Out During Ceremony

Cody Kitaura — May 20, 2019 - 12:50pm

Thousands pass by their names each day, and this week all of 51�ԹϺ�� Davis will be reminded of their sacrifice.

A highlight of 51�ԹϺ�� Davis’ annual Memorial Day Ceremony, to be held at 5 p.m. Thursday (May 23), will be when 51�ԹϺ�� Davis Army ROTC cadets read the names of the 136 students and alumni who have died in military service to the United States — our Gold Star Aggies.