The annual Memorial Day ceremony at Chief Tecopa Cemetery will have an added feature this year, the Pahrump Genealogical Society and the Daughters of the American Revolution have prepared books with information on all 171 veterans interred at the cemetery.

"We intend to have a roll call of all 171 names at the cemetery. It's never been done before," said Garren Hesketh, commander of Pahrump Veterans of Foreign Wars Post No. 10054.

The ceremony takes place at 10 a.m. The roll call will include the names, branch of service and date of death.

Matthew Bates, a veteran of World War II and a former prisoner of war, will be the keynote speaker.

There will also be speeches by Hesketh, Pahrump American Legion Commander Art Ball, Disabled American Veterans Commander Bob Ahrendt and Susi Benner representing the ladies auxiliary to the VFW.

VFW Chaplain Kenny James will give the invocation, his 17th year of doing so.

Local Scouts will place flags in the Chief Tecopa Cemetery Sunday.

Members of the audience will be invited to the VFW post afterward for lunch.

The VFW will start out Memorial Day weekend with a flag raising ceremony at the Pahrump Senior Center at 11 a.m. today, Friday.

U.S. Marine Corps veteran G.G. Sweet will have his usual ceremony at his memorial park on Gamebird Road and Money Street at 9:30 a.m. Monday .

The service will honor Cmdr. Thomas L. MacAdam, U.S. Navy chaplain MacAdam served in the Navy from 1969 to 1989, including tours with the Fleet Marine Force in Vietnam. In 1958 he was ordained a minister and moved to Pahrump in 1997. He served as pastor of Saved by Grace Lutheran Church from January 2001 until he recently retired.

Tom Saitta will sing the national anthem during a flag-raising ceremony at 3:30 p.m. Monday at the Pahrump Nugget Casino. Homeland Heroes will have a special display.

The Amargosa Valley American Legion post will host a Memorial Day breakfast featuring "Linda's infamous trash omelettes" from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Amargosa Valley VFW Post No. 6826 on Highway 373. There will be a ceremony at the VFW flag pole from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. More information may be obtained by calling the VFW Post after 5 p.m. at 372-5253.

Memorial Day is traditionally held the last Monday of May, commemorating men and women who died in military service. The event began as Decoration Day to honor fallen Union soldiers after the Civil War. It was expanded to include all soldiers after World War I.