Several Memorial Day events were planned in Oregon to honor Americans who have served and those still fighting overseas.

In Portland, OMSI is having a Memorial Day ceremony to commemorate those who served on the USS Blueback and local veterans on Monday, May 26 at 1:00 p.m. in the courtyard behind OMSI. It's open and free to the public.

In Gresham -- there's a service at the corner of Powell and Roberts, where honorees will break ground for a new memorial. It starts at 10 a.m.

At 3 p.m. on Monday, Americans were asked to honor a moment of silence -- the National Moment of Remembrance was started in 1997. It will be observed at the International Space Station, the Statue of Liberty and atop the Empire State Building.

Governor Ted Kulongoski this week ordered flags at public institutions be flown at half-staff from sunrise until noon on Monday.

Ruben Fuentes, Fox 11 News

Here’s a listing of events from the Oregon Department of Veterans Affairs:

May 26 -- 11 a.m. -- American Legion Post 124 will host a ceremony at Beaverton Memorial Park on Watson Street. Legion Post 158’s band will play. An Air National Guard flyover has been requested.

Hillsboro

May 26 -- 11 a.m. -- VFW Post 2666 will provide a Color Guard during a ceremony at Fir Lawn Memorial Park, located at 1070 W. Main Street. Oregon Army Air National Guard soldiers will post service branch flags. Guest speaker: Doyle Robertson. A bag piper will play Amazing Grace. Taps will be played.

Contact: George Anderson, 971-404-7905

May 26 -- 1 p.m. -- Valley Memorial Park, 3809 S.E. Tualatin Highway will host a ceremony. Cub Scout Pack 195 will present and retire the colors. Music provided by the Clan Maclay Pipe Band. Guest speaker: State Sen. Bruce Starr. An Air National Guard flyover has been requested.

McMinnville

May 24-26 -- The Evergreen Aviation Museum’s weekend celebration will include military aircraft cockpit viewing, presentations by veteran pilots, and guided tours. Call or check the website for updated Memorial Day event information. The museum is located at 500 N.E. Captain Michael King Smith Way, on Highway 18.

May 24 -- 10 a.m. -- Skyline Memorial Gardens and Funeral Home, 4101 N.W. Skyline Blvd., will host a ceremony with flag presentations and placement of memorial wreaths. The Ft. Vancouver Pipe Band will play. The Guard’s 2-218th Field Artillery unit will fire a 21-gun salute. Color Guards: VFW Post 4015, American Legion Post 57, and Aloha Boy Scout Troops 290 and 297. An Army National Guard flyover has been requested.

Contacts: David Alford/Colleen Combs, 503-292-6611

Portland:

May 26 -- 10 a.m. -- Willamette National Cemetery will host their 58th Annual Memorial Day program. A joint military Color Guard will present honors and fire a rifle salute. More than 450 U.S. flags, donated by veterans’ families, will be flown along the Avenue of Flags. Musical selections will be by: “Messenger,” Bravo-Vancouver Chorale, Portland Police Highland Guard, and 234th Army Guard Band. Guest speaker: Lt. Gen. Charles H.

Jacoby Jr., Commander, 1st Corps, Fort Lewis, Wash. An Air National Guard flyover has been requested.

Contact: George Allen, 503-273-5250

Portland

May 26 -- 10 a.m. -- The names of 801 Oregon Vietnam veterans who were killed during the war will be read at the Oregon Vietnam Veterans Memorial located in Washington Park near the Metro Park Zoo at 400 S.W.

Canyon Road. Canby VFW Post 6057 will post the Colors and join other veterans’ groups in presenting wreaths. An Air National Guard flyover has been requested.

Contact: Ron Cannon, 503-819-4228

May 26 -- 1 p.m. -- The United States Submarine Veterans, Inc. will host a ceremony at the Submarine Memorial at OMSI, on the riverside overlooking the USS Blueback. The names of all U.S. submarines that have been lost and the number of men lost with them– “Tolling of the Boats” –will be read. Sea Cadets will present the Colors. A memorial wreath will be laid followed by a fireboat colored water display.

Salem

May 26 -- 11 a.m. -- The Greater Salem Area Veterans’ Organizations (GSAVO) will sponsor the 26th annual Memorial Day program at the City View Cemetery, 390 Hoyt St. S. An Army National Guard flyover has been requested. A luncheon will be held afterwards at VFW Post 661, 630 Hood St. N.E.

Contact: Bernice Harlan, 503-362-5530

May 26 -- 6 p.m. -- Girl Scout Troop 5 will conduct a flag retirement ceremony at Lee Mission Cemetery, 2104 D Street. Troop members will properly retire unserviceable flags. Taps will be played. The troop will later collect veteran and clergy flags from gravesites.

Contact: Anny Shay, annymango@comcast.net

May 30 (Fri.) -- 2 p.m. -- A ceremony will honor Oregonians who have been killed in action since November 2007 while serving in support of military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Their names will be inscribed on the granite wall of the Afghan-Iraqi Freedom Memorial. Oregon Dept. of Veterans’ Affairs Director Jim Willis will be the keynote speaker. An Army National Guard flyover has been requested. The memorial is located on the ODVA grounds at 700 Summer Street N.E.